A Glossary of the Essex Dialect

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A GLOSSARY

OF

THE ESSEX DIALECT.

BY

RICHARD STEPHEN CHARNOCK,

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CHABLES JONES, FRINTEB, WEST HAKDINQ STREET.

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PREFACE.

SoMB years bince, when making pedestrian tours througli
Essex, I was struck with the peculiarity of the dialect,
and I noted down many words. Having looked through
Mr. Russell Smith's List of Provincial Glossaries for
England, and not found one for this county, it occurred
to me that a Glossary might be useful, especially as t
learned that the dialect was dying out. With this view I
consulted several works on the subject, but was not at first
rewarded with much success. The Mithridates of Adelung
gives a version of the Lord's Prayer in the dialect of
Walden, in Essex, taken from Chamberlayne's Oratio
Dominica.* Upon examination I found that the version
in question did not relate to the Essex dialect at all,
but to that of the Waldenses or Vaudois,*|* which would
seem to bear considerable resemblance to the Gaelic. :j:
I next consulted Halliwell's Sketch of the Provincial

* Headed in Adelung In der Mundart des Fleckem Walden in Essex.
Aus Chamberlayne, s. 39.

t The Vaudois, Valdenses or Waldenses, in their own dialect
Yaud^s, dwell in three high valleys of Piedmont.

% In the " Sprachprobe," Adelung, after referring to Chamberlayne,
says, Die Mundart in dem Flecken "Walden in der Englischen Grafschaft
Essex, dessen Einwohner ohne Zweifel eine Galische ColoTviA «csx^^
weicht davon merklich ab. Chamberla'^xv^ ^axiCjk. «xA^\^ Y^^st'5»c\»!^^'«2^"^
haben Walden mit den WaldenaeTn 'Vftt'vfevi\^i^\.,\3LxA ^dJckSJt ^vsiSRk^^xvsiR^
Bsuih. rtab'en verpflanzt.

ly PREFACE.

Dialects of England, which contains a poem of the '' Fif-
teenth Centuiy, by the Vicar of Maldon, from a MS. HarL
271 f. 26, in the Essex dialect of the period," but which,
on examination, appeared to be written in the common
English of the time. In an article in the Penny Cyclo-
paedia'*' on the *' Saxon Language and Literature," the
writer, in a note, asserts that nearly one-half of Gammer
Gurton's Needle is written in the dialect of Essex. Upon
referring to '* A Ryght Pithy, Pleasaunt, and Merie Comedie,
intytuled Gurton's Nedle,"! I found that, even supposing
the latter to be written in the Essex dialect, which I do
not believe, it bore no resemblance whatever to the dialect
spoken in the county at the present day. To the words
which I had collected during my pedestrian tours through
the county I added several more from a short list contained
in the Monthly Magazine for July, 18444 and others from
Bailey's Dictionary, HalliwelFs Archaic Dictionary, and
Grose's Glossary. I have also taken many more from
Mr. Charles Clark's interesting little poem, *' John Noakes
and Mary Styles," which contains some of the most difficult
words and phrases in the dialect. § I have also consulted
the same author's *' Trip to Tiptree, or a Lover's Triumph
(in verse)."|| Of course some of the words contained in

•

* VoL XX. p. 481. Lond. 1841.

t Bj John Still, Lond. 1676.

X Pp. 498-9. The list appears to have been compiled by Mr. Daniel
Copsey, and contains onlj 79 words.

§ Lond. 1839. 12mo.

if Tiptree, 1842, 870. I note that " Tiptree Fair in 1844," by
J. B. H. (1848). contains at the end '* The Trip to Tiptree, or a Lover's
Triumph, hambiy presented to the philologist as a specimen of the dialect
«/* the peasantry of Laaex. '

PRKFACE. ▼

the present Glossaiy are merely different orthographies or
corruptions of words which occur in English Dictionaries,
but, as many of them are given by Mr. Clark, and as I am
advised that they come within the province of a Glossary, I
have thought it prudent to retain them.* The greatest
peculiarities of the dialect that I have met with are north
of Chelmsford, especially at Braintree, Halstead, Gosfield,
Bardfield, Wethersfield, and in the vicinity of the Salt
Ings. In some parts of the county the dialect resembles
that of Kent, in others that of Suffolk. It is, however, not
generally so broad as either, nor is it spoken with the
strong whining tone of the Suffolk dialect. It contains
many words from the Saxon,! Friesic, Dutch, and Belgic,
not usually found in other English dialects, as ails, amper,
higge^ hog, hulUmony or bullimang, cowl, golls, housen, lugsome,
mad, mawther, noty pillow-beer, rumpled, sliver, slud, slump,
snace: others from the Norman, tksfoizon, frail, chate, coppy.
The dialect also contains many Chaucerian words, and
includes a good many slang words; but, as they are not
peculiar to the county, I have endeavoured to pass them by.
There is a tendency to transpose letters ; as aers for ears.
Vowels are frequently lengthened, as maade for made,
maake for make. A is liable to become 0, as ollis for always.

* i have lately come across a collectioii of Glossaries published bv
J. B. Bell, Lond. 1851, containing some provincial words used in Essex,
from which I have culled a few words.

t Br. Latham (The English Language, 5th ed. p. 19) says, '<0n
the authority of historians a.d. 530 certain Saxons landed in Essex ; so
that the county of Essex was the fourth district where the original fitid&K
was superseded by the mother-tongue of thft '^x«&«QX.l£iTi\g^M8^^Naa^^5^»s5«^
from Korthem Germany,"

VI • PBEFACE.

E oflten changes into A^ as anough for enough, arrant for
errand, warse for verse. / has frequently a broad sound,
sAfoine, noice, amoile, toime, twoice, for fine, nice, smile, time,
twice. often becomes 27, as frum, sput^ nut, for from,
spot, not. Z> is sometimes changed into T, as arrant for
errand, ballet for ballad. The letter B is sometimes dropped,
as 8uppa8s*d for surpassed, hul for hurl. As in other dialects,
words are often abbreviated and contracted, and the cor-
ruptions are many,* as amtzs, ast, au to, hoamt, mosly, lowance,
monsus, for almost, asked, all to, bonnet, mostly, allowance,
monstrous. The use of W for V is common in some parts,
as warse for verse, &c.

Essex people generally pronounce the letter H correctly;
but there is nevertheless a tendency to drop this letter when
prefixed by T, as now and ten, for now and then. We also
occasionally find words prefixed by a, as scringing for
cringing; but this is not peculiar to any dialect. Some
words would appear to have been formed by imitation of
sound, as bobbery, bonx. The old plural in en also occurs,
as hausen for houses.f The people do not speak in the
often subdued tone of Londoners ; indeed, they more fre-
quently scream their words, and remind one of the Venetian
gondolier or the French poissonniere.

The following quotation from Mr. Charles Clark*s

* I have heard Mountnessing pronounced Munnazeen,
t It is the termination of the second declension of the Anglo-Saxon.
Compare Chaucer's ei/en, shoon, been, aasen, for eyes, shoes, bees, asses.

PBEFACB. ¥11

" John Noakes and Maiy Styles " will give some idea of the
Essex dialect:—

COCK-A-BEVIS HILL.

At Tottmn's Cock-a-Beyis Hill,

A sput suppass'd by few.
Where toddlers ollis naut to eye

The proper pritty wiew.

Where people crake so oy the place,

Leaswa^s, so I' ye hard saj;
An' from its top yow sarteny,

Can see a monsus way.

'Bout this oad Hill, I warrant ya.

Their bog it nuyer ceases ;
They'd growl shud yow nut own that it

Beats Danbury's au' to pieces.

But no sense oy a place, some think.

To this here hill so high, —
Cos there, full oft, 'tis nation coad,

But that dont argufy.

Tit, if they their inquirations maake

In winter time, some will
Condemn that place as no great shakes.

Where folks ha* the eocid^ehiU !

As sum'dy, 'haps, when nigh the sput,

May ha' a wish to see 't, —
From Mauldon town to Kcddon 'tis,

An' 'gin a four releet.

Where up the road the load it goos

So lugsome an' so stiff.
That bosses mosly kitch a whop,

Frum drivers in a tiff.

At Cock-a-Beyis Hill, too, the

Wiseacres show a tree.
Which if yow clamber up, besio^,

A precions way yow aoe.

• ••

Vlll PREFACE.

I dom't think I cud olime it now,

Aldoe I uster cud ;
I shu in't warsley loike to troy.

For guelch cum down I shud.

My head *ood swim,— I 'oodn't do it
Kut eyen for a guinea :

A naarbour ax'd me, t'other day^
" Naa, naa," says I, ** nut quinny,

>f

At Cock-a-Bevis Hill, I was

A-goon to tell the folks.
Some warses back — ^when I bargun—

In peace there lived John Noakes.

In a paper in the Edinburgh Heview for April, 1844,*
entitled ^' Provincialisms of the European Languages/* the
writer puts down the provincial words used in Essex at
589.* The author does not state whence he obtained hie
information, neither have I thought it worth while to
count the words contained in the present Glossary. To
conclude, I have attempted the etymology of many of the
words, a task that is generally given up by glossographers
on account of the difficulty thereof. I have also added
some proverbs, sayings, &c., peculiar to the county.

* Vol. Izxix. p. 472. The same writer gives the number of pro-
vincial words used in Suffolk and Norfolk as 2400 and 2500 respectively.
He says the highest number is in Craven, viz., 6069; the lowest in
Ezmoor, 370.

WORKS CONSULTED.

The Monthly Magazine for July, 1814 (Mr. Daniel Copsey on the

Essex Dialect), p. 498.
Glossary of Provincial Words used in the County of Essex,

contained in a Collection of Glossaries published by J. G.

Bell. Lond. 1851.
John Noakes and Mary Styles; or, An Essex Calf's Visit to

Tiptree Races. A poem, exhibiting some of the most striking

lingual localisms peculiar to Essex, with a Glossary. By

Charles Clark, of Great Totbam Hall, Essex. Lond. 1839.

12mo.
The Trip to Tiptree ; or, A Lover's Triumph. (In verse.) By

Charles Clark, Tiptree, 1842. 8vo.
The Edinburgh Review for 1844, vol. 79, " Provincialisms of the

European Languages."
The Penny Cyclopaedia: " On the Saxon Language."
A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words. By J. 0. Halli-

well, F.R.S. Two vols. Lond. 1847. 8vo.
A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words. By same

Author. Two vols. Lond. 1850. 8vo.
A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words. By same

Author. Brixton Hill. Two vols. 1852. 4to.
An Historical Sketch of the Provincial DiaU<^t.<«^ ^1 ^^'^^KSiS^,

JB/aame Author. Albany, li^.'^.l^^^. %hq-

X WORKS CONSULTED.

A Glossary of Provincial and Local Words used in England.
By Francis Grose, Esq., F.A., A S.S. With a Supplement
by Samuel Pegge, Esq., F.S.A. Lond., 1836.

The Vocabulary of East Anglia. By Robert Forby. Edited by
G. Turner. Vol. 3, by W. J. Spurdens. Lond. 1830—58.
12mo.

A Ryght Pithy, Plesaunt, and Merie Comedie, Inty tuled Gurton's
Nedle. By John Still. Lond. 1575.

Oratio Dominica in Diversas Omnium fer^ Gentium Linguas,
&c. By John Chamberlayne, F.R.S. Amst. 1715. 4to.

Mithridates, oder Allgemeine Sprachenkunde von Johann
Christopher Adelung. Three vols. 1817. 8vo. With a
Supplement, in one vol., by Dr. Johann Severin Vater.

The East Anglian ; or, Notes and Queries on Subjects con-
nected with Suffolk, Cambridge, Essex, and Norfolk. Lowes-
toft : Tymms. 1858 et seq.

CONTENTS.

PAGE.

Glossary 1

Addenda 56

Proverbs, Sayings, &c 58

GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

A.

Adry, thirsty.

Aers, ears of corn. Clark,

Afore, before.

Afeard. See Feard.

Agin, again.

A GOO, a-going. Clark,

Ails, or Iles, the beards of barley, beards of wheat. Bailey,
From A. S. egla^ egle, which Dr. Bosworth variously renders
"a sprout, tender shoot, the beard of com, the pricks of a
thistle, that which pricks, trouble, festuca, carduitaJ^ In the
North of England avms is used for aih,

Aldoe, although. Clark,

All, sometimes for quite ; as all that, for quite that.

Altogether, a word used without any definite meaning.
See Boa.

A-MOS, Almost. Clark,

Amper, Ampor, a rising scab or sore, also a vein swelled
with corrupted blood. In Kent, ampred, ampered^ signifies cor-
rupted, as " ampred cheese ;" and in old English, amper, ampor^
was a swelling, also a flaw in cloth. A^^qt^yci^ \.<c^ ^x^^^^oaw^vt

2 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

in Kent is a fault, defect, or flaw ; an amprey tooth, a decayed
tooth. The word is from A. S. ampre^ ompre^ a crooked swelling
vein ; also the name of a herb. Conf. Kennett, M.S. Lansd.
1033 ; and Skinner.

Andraa, a clown or mountebank. Clark. "An* there the
Andraa's play'd sich tricks — " John Noakes. N. From m&rry-
andrewj a term said to have originated from Andrew Borde, a
physician in the time of Henry VIII., who attracted attention and
obtained patients by facetious speeches to the multitude .

Ane, for hang ; as " ank that gate/' i.e, hang or shut that gate.

Anoather, another.

Anough, enough.

Anythink, anything.

Are (the), clouds running into two points Clark,

Arly, early.

Arrar, arrow.

Arrand, errand.

Arter, after.

Arterwards, afterwards. Clark,

A-TOME, at home. Clark,

Attact, attack. Clark,

AucTiONEERER, auctioneer. Clark.

AuKARD, awkward.

Au TO, all to. " All to pieces," &c. Clark.

Ax'd, asked. Ax, axen^ to ask, is often found in Chaucer. If
that man aaced him in certeyn houres. The Milleres Tale, 9. Or
if men axed him what schulde bifalle. Id. 11.

B.

Backwater, a stream from the sea; perhaps the same as
" tidal streams."
Bagging-hook, the rei^ing-hook.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 3

Ballet, for ballad. Clarh,

Bange, light fine rain ; perhaps connected with next word.

Banjt, dull, gloomy ; as a banjy day. Halliwell gives also
henjy^ cloudy, overcast, as an Essex word.

Bargun, began.

Barley-bird, the siskin, a bird so called in Essex. Or abb.
Siskin is another name for the aberdavine or Fringilla spirnis.

Bast, to flog severely. Clark.

Beas, beasts.

Beat-out, puzzled, put in a quandary. Clark,

Bed-steddle, a bedstead. Steddle seems to be a diminutive
of A. S. stede (Dan. ti.), a place.

Behine, behind.

Behounced, finely dressed, smart with finery. Kennett
says, " ironically applied." M.S. Lansd. 1033. Grose renders
the Sussex word behouncJCd^ "tricked up and made fine, a
metaphor taken from an ornament worn by a cart-horse, called
hounches, which lies spread upon his collar. This term is in
general used ironically." See Bounces, in this Glossary. Gonf.
the Chaucerian haundn^ to enhance, to promote ; haurmng^
elevation ; the modem English enhance^ to raise, to be raised, to
swell, grow larger ; from Norman enhauncer^ from hawncer^ to
raise (eahauncet hauZf hauhj high).

Bellar, to bellow, cry out violently.

Bengy, cloudy, overcast.

Bettermust, best ; only applied to clothes. Clark,

Bellywengins, small beer. Grose gives belly-wark, the
gripes, N. They also say tooth-wark and head-wark. The last
part of the word would seem to be a corruption of vengeance.

BiGGE, a pap or teat. Ghrose. Gifford, a native of Essex, in-
troduces the word in his Dialogue on Witches, 1603. The bigge
is the name of the hare in a curious poem in Relig. Antiq. 1, 133.
Halliwell. Qu. A. S. %6, &y^e, a bosom..

4 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

Bile, boil. " The kettle biles." Clarh,

Bin, been.

BiZNUS, business.

BizzY, busy.

Black-sick. The oysters are sick after they have spat ; but in
June and July they begin to mend, and in August are frequently
well. The male oyster is black-sick^ as the fishermen term it,
having a black substance in the fin ; and the female white-sick^
having a milky f^ubstance in the fin. Dr. Spratt. (Hist. Roy. Soc.)
Another author accounts the white sickness to be the milky spawn
of the male ; and the other, the eggs of the female newly effused
in the fins. Cromwell, (Hist. Colchester, p. 292.)

Boa, boy. Wa a yow gowan altogether, boa ? — where are you
going, boy ? See also Gal.

BoarKt, bonnet.

Bob. See Johnny.

BoDDLE, bottle.

Bog, to boast ; from A. S. hogan^ id.

BoiNE, a swelling. Ealliwell, A swelling arising from a
blow. Grose. Kennett, M. S. Lands. 1033, has " a hoine on the
head, a blow or wound on the head (Ess.)" In Norfolk, houn or
hown is swelled. Halliwell has hunys^ blows ; also bunny, a smalj
swelling (East) ; fcowy, a swelling on the body arising from
bruises or pressure. Cowel (Interpreter) renders orbis, " a bonnei/y
a swelling or knob in the flesh caused by a blow ;" and he gives
Low Lat. boncha, a bonch or bunch, which he derives from bonna
or bunna, a rising bank for the term or bound of fields ; " hence the
word bown is used in Norfolk for a swelling or rising up in a
bunch or tumour, &c.*' Conf. Chaucer's bolne, to swell, boil up ;
Dan. bugnCyto swell. Sw. bulnadj a swelling, morbid tumour; bulna,
to swell, to matter. See also Greek ^ovvos, a hill, rising ground.

BoNMKA, very large. Clark, In other parts of the East of
England banka is also used for large, strapping.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. O

BONX, to beat up batter for padding ; a word perhaps derWed
from sound.

Bote, bought.

BouY, boy.

BousTLE, bustle.

Brack, a flaw or fault in anything. From A. S. brcusany brecan,
to break ; brcec, broke. Sw. bracks Dan. brag, a crack.

Brank, buck-wheat. In Worcestershire it is called crap,
Webster says it was probably so named from its joints, breaks.
It is doubtless the same as the old Gaulish word brance. " Gallic^
quoque suum genus farris dedere ; quod illic brance vocant, apud
nos sandalum, nitidissimi grani." Plin. 18, 7; but see
Dufresne.

Brindled down, thrown down violently. Clark,

Britches, breeches. Clark.

Brother Will, small beer (in some parts of the county).

Brotb, brought.

Bruck, broke.

Bud, a small cow, one between a calf and a cow. In Sussex a
weaned calf of the first year is called a bud, " because,*' says '
Grose, ** the horns then begin to bud ;" or, according to Bailey,
" because the horns are then in bud."

BuLLiMONY, BuLLiMONO, a mixture of several sorts of grain
together ; as pease, oats, vetches. Bailey. Doubtless the same
as bolmeng, which Cowel renders " mesling corn or bread, from
Sax. bold, villa, mong, miscella ; because countrymen eat this sort
of bread." Bailey gives also bollimong, bullimong, which he
renders " buck-wheat, a sort of grain ; also a medley of several
sorts of grain together." The last part of the word is from the
obsolete menge, to mix ; Fries, and D. mengen. Conf. Coleridge's
Glossary, under ming, mingle ; referring to Robert of Gloucester.

BuLLS-NOON, midnight. Clark, The word is also used in
other parts of East Anglia.

6 A GLOSSART OF ESSEX.

BuMBY, a receptacle for filth and rubbish. Conf. the Norfolk
and Suffolk humhey^ which Grose renders a " quagmire'* from stag-
nant water, dung, &c., such as is often seen in a farm-yard. The
word is from hum^ "the part on which we sit" (Shakspeare), from
A. S. ^0^771 a bottom, fundum ; and the Goth o -Teutonic hy^ a
place.

BuM-BY, by and bye ; also used in var. dial.

Bunting, not neat, unsightly dress, untidy. In some parts of
East Anglia it signifies mean and shabby. This word may be
from hunting^ buntine^ a thin woollen stuff, of which the colours or
flags and signals of ships are made ; from G. bunty D. bontf
streaked, or of different colours.

Busk, to lie idly in the sun. For bask.

Buss, to kiss, to embrace. Clark,

BussoGK, a donkey. Notes and Queries, 5th S. x. 521.

BUTH, birth, situation ; " buth, situation." Wright,

C.

Cad, the smallest of a litter, as the cad pig, which is looked
upon as of the least value. " Fling out the cad, and I'll hev'm,"
says the jobber. The word seems to be from Fr. cadet, properly
the second son, but in general the younger son or brother, or the
youngest. Grose, however, gives the S. of England cadmaj
<* called also a whinnock, the least pig of the litter."

Ca-INT, can not. Clark,

Caist, cast.

Carl, curl. Clark,

Carlly, curly.

Cart Rake or Rack, a cart track or rut.

Chake, cheek.

Charmber, chamber. Clark,

Charriter, character. Clark,

Chate, a feast, a treat. From cates, delicious food or Tiands,

A OLOSSART OF ESSEX. 7

dainties ; according to some from Norm, acat, a buying. (Fr.
ocheteTj to buy ; It. cattare, to get.) See also Minshew under
cate^ cater ; Junius under cater ; Latham under cates, I query if
the word is not corrupted from delicates, ^' So far beyond a prince's
delicates. 3 H. VI. 2, 6, 51.

Chevy, to chase, to run after. Clark.

Chige, a small portion. In the Romaunt of the Rose (5590),
Chaucer has " lyveth more at ese, and more is riche, than doth he
that is chiche.^^ Mr. Morris renders chiche niggardly, sparing ;
and Bailey, a covetous niggardly fellow. The word seems to be
from Fr. chiche^ stingy, niggardly, mean, sordid, avaricious, close-
fisted; perhaps connected with Sp. chicoj little, small, a little
boy.

Chop, to flog ; " to flog with a whip." Clark,

Chops, the lips. Clark.

Chuck- full, quite full, crammed; compare the slang word
chock-full, full till the scale comes down with a shock ; originally
choke-full, and often used in reference to theatres and places of
amusement.

Church Clerk, the parish clerk. Grose.

Chutch, church.

Claa, claw.

Cliver, a herb used medicinally ; perhaps the same with
clivers, a plant, the Gallium aparine ; in some parts of England
called goose-grease ; in N. of England hariff and catchweed.

Clove, a weight in Essex, of cheese and butter 8 lbs., of wool
7 lbs. Bailey. Perhaps from Dan. clove, to cleave, slit, split.

Clunchy, thick and clumsy. *' Strong and clunchy was Simon."
Clark. Perhaps another form of clumsy.

Coach, to drive.

COAD or CowD, cold.

CoAD Chill, a ridiculous pleonasm, meaning an ague fit. Clark.

COAs, course.

8 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

Come up, to appear in person. Clark.

Commence, an awkward event.

CONSABN, for concern.

Cop, to throw; also to pass. " Cop that to me ; cop it here."

COPPY, sometimes used for a copse or coppice, of which it is
another orthography ; from Norman coupiz^ from couper, to cut.

Cos, because.

CoTCH, catch.

Count, to think, intend.

CouT, coat.

Cow, to cower.

Cow. See Cowl.

Cowl or Cow, a tub. In some counties coul is a provincial
word for a large wooden tub ; and indeed it was formerly used to
denote any kind of cup or vessel. The word is from G. kugel, a
bowl, literally a ball, sphara (O.G. keuel, Jceuly haul, globus,
sphsera).

Crake, to boast, brag. Croke is used by Spenser. The word is
derived from Fr. craquer*

Ceazy, over anxious, excited. Clark,

Crock, a pot or kettle. From A. S. crocca (Dan. hrukke, a
jug, mug, pitcher, pot ; Sw. kruka), a pot, pitcher.

Crock, to blacken with soot ; " the black from any thing that
has been burnt." Clark, Perhaps derived from the colour of a crock.

Crome, a staff with a hook at the end. A nut-crome is a nut-
hook. From Dan. krumj crooked, curved, bent ; krumme, to
bend, to curve. Conf. W. crom, crvoni, bending, bowed, crooked ;
Armor, gromm, a curb.

Crome, to draw with a crome. The Prompt. Parv. has " croumhe
or crome (croiombe^ P.), bucus ; C. P. unccus, K. P. arpax,C. P." ;
and in a note Mr. Way adds, " this word, signifying a staff with
an hooked end, is still retained among the provincialisms of Nor-
folk and Suffolk, and is traced by Forby to Belg. erom, uncus.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. ^

TuBser speaks of a dung-crome, and Jamieson gives erummocky
crummie-at&S, a staff with a crooked head for leaning on, A. S.
crumby curvus."

Cromp, cramp.

Crope, to grope, to walk cautiously. Clark, Another ortho-
graphy of grope.

Crotch -TAIL, a kite. HalliwelL

Crumbles, crumbs ; from crumble, to break into small pieces.

Crups, crops. Clark,

Cud, could.

Cue, to. To try to make believe, to insinuate. Clark,

CuiiSH, CuLCH, CuLTCH, rubbish, "culch, rubbish of any
description.'* Clark, " Cultch, lumber, stuff, refuse of any kind ;"
HalliwelL Mr. A. Holt White says, **the Essex oyster- dredgers
call any hard rubbish, oyster shells, broken bricks, &c., used to
make an artificial bottom for their oyster-beds, cultch ; '' and he
asks, '^ Are not cullet and cultch something culled or selected from
a larger quantity ? To cull a flock of sheep is to take out the
culU or the worc^t or faulty ones." Brande defines cullet "broken
glass to be melted over." See Notes and Queries, 2nd S. 1, 377,
504. " The spat (the spawn of the oyster) cleaves to stones, old
oyster- shells, pieces of wood, and such like things at the bottom
of the sea, which they call cultch,''^ Cromwell, Hist. Colchester.
"When the full-grown oysters are taken, the small brood is
separated from the clutch, which is then thrown in again. If the
clutch were carried away, the ooze would increase and encourage
the breed of muscles and cockles rather than oysters." White,
Hist. Essex, speaking of the Colchester fishery, li clutch is the
proper orthography of the word, it may be from clutch, to seize,
to grasp, from A. S. laccan^ gelaccan, to seize. See also Camden
Hotten*8 Slang Dictionary under " Cullet."

Cull, the fish called the bull head; according to Littleton,
Gohio capitatus.

10 A GLOSSABY OF ESSEX.

CUROSITY, curiosity.
CuROUS, curious.
Cuss, curse.

CuTHER, a word denoting surprise, frequently used in familiar
conversation.

D.

Dag, dew. From Sw. dagg, (Plat. daUy D. dauw,)

Dallop, a patch of ground missed by the plough, or a patch of
com where a dunghill has laid. Grose, who also makes it a
Norfolk word, renders it " a patch of ground among corn that has
escaped the plough ; also tufts of corn where dung-heaps have
long laid." It seems to be the same as dallopsy which Bailey
renders " patches or comers of grass or weed among corn," and
may have been corrupted from daliprats, narrow slips of pasture
ground, from Low S. dalj a meadow.

Dapster, an adept, proficient. Clark. Doubtless the same
as the slang word dabster, an expert person ; perhaps from dapper,
active, nimble, brisk, neat, lively, from adeptus, Conf. also
Prompt. Parv. under " dapyr or praty, elegans," and Palgrave's
^^daper, proper, mignon, godin; dapymease, propernesse, mi-
gnotterie."

Dare, harm or pain, as ** it does me no dare." From next.

Dare, to pain, grieve, as **it dares me," i. e, *' it pains me."
Conf. 0. Eng. dere, to injure, hurt, from A. S. derian, id., D.
derm, Fries, deerje, Lancash. to deere, A. S. daru, dare, hurt,
damage.

Dart, dirt.

Darter, daughter.

Darty, dirty.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 11

Deadly, superlative degree of any thing, as deadly good^ &c.
Clark,

Dean, a din, noise.

Dean, to din.

Ded, did.

Dent, did not. Clark. Dent ote to maake it late! John
NoakeSj &c.

Desarves, deserves.

Deviltry, devilry.

Dicky, a donkey, an ass.

DiDAL, a sharp triangular spade. Grose, who also makes it a
Norfolk word, defines it ^* a triangular spade, as sharp as a knife ;
called also a dag-prick ;*' a corruption of dibble^ the garden instru-
ment ; or from dig-awl XK. S. al^ an awl).

Dip, deaf.

Dilvered, drowsy, " exhausted, worn out with fatigue."
Clark, Qu. Dan. dvaU^ dead sleep, Sw. drala, trance, ecstasy.

Doe, do.

Ding, to throw with a sling. Grrose, In Norfolk to ding is to
throw in general; and in the N. of England to ding is to beat ; as
I'se ding him, I shall beat him. See Grose.

Dog-rapper. "The parish beadle, or more frequently the sexton,
who officiates in a similar capacity in village churches, bearing
the long peeled willow wand, is in Essex, and probably in other
parts of the country, called the dog-rapper. This title has no
doubt been traditionally handed down from his office in the
17th century." The East Anglian, June, 1865, p. 212.

Dogged, great, as " dogged way," a great way. In various
dialects dogged is very, excessive, and dog-cheap is very cheap.

Dogs, the dew, from Dan. dug^ Sw. dagg.

DOKE, a bruise, from A. S. dolg, dolh (Fries, dolg)^ a wound, a
scar of a wound.

DOKE, a stream, the sike or syke of the northern counties, '* a

12 A GLOSS ART OF ESSEX.

deep dint or furrow." Grrose. Halliwell thinks the word dohej
which in other counties signifies any small hollow, synonymous
with dalk, which the Prompt. Parv. renders a vale. Doke is
probably another orthography of dyke, Fr. digue.

Doles or Dools, slips of pasture. Bailey defines a dole-
meadow, ** one wherein divers persons have a share." Cowel says
" dole is a part or portion, most commonly of a meadow, so called
to this day, as dole-meadow (anno 4 Jac. c. 11), where several
persons have shares.*'

DoLOURiNG, a mournful noise, perhaps from the old word
dolour^ pain, grief, sorrow, anguish; from Fr. douleur, or L. dolor,

DouLL, dull.

Dover-court, a great noise. See Proverbs.

Down, at. " Down t'other end o' the town."

Draa, draw.

Draffs, drawings, pictures. Clark.

Drean, to drain.

Dredge, a mixture of oats and barley now little sown. This
word is also used in Norfolk. Dredge is derived from the country
word dredg, dreg, oats and barley mingled together Bailey
renders to dredge meat, " to scatter flour on it while roasting,"
and a dredger, " a flour box."

Dreft, drove.

Dubs, money. In common English slang duh is to pay or give,
as " dub up," pay up. It may be from dub, to confer any dignity
or new character (a man of wealth dubbed a man of worth. Pope);
properly, to strike a blow with a sword and make a knight ;
literally, to strike ; from A. S. dubban, to strike, to create.

DuLLAB, a stunning or uninterinipted noise, confusion. Hal'
liwell.

DuNT, to confuse by noise, to stupefy, Clark. Perhaps
from A. S. dynan, to din, to make a noise ; dyne, gedyn, noise.
See also Bailey under dtmny at seq.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 13

E.

Band, end.
— Easles, hot embers, from Dan. ashey ashes, embers.

East, yeast. Clarh,

Edder, fence wood, commonly put on the top of fences; from
A. S. edoTy eader, a hedge, fence, a place enclosed by a hedge, a
fold, dwelling-house.

Eel Thing, St. Anthony's fire, *. e, erysipelas.

Ees, yes. Clark,

Em, them.

Enow, enough.

Essex Lion, a calf. *' Calves, a great number of which are
brought alive in carts to the London market, were formerly
called Essex lions." Minshew says, "Essex calues the pro-
uerbe praiseth, but Waltham's calfe, that went nine mile to Ruck
a bulle and came home againe a- thirst, can haue noe parte of
this prouerbe." " A calf is probably the only lively animal to be
seen in a journey through Essex." Camden Hotten,

Essex Stile, a ditch. Camden Hotten says this is a jocular
allusion to the peculiarities of the " low country."

Etch, each, every one, every other. Clarh,

Etch Crop, the after crop. " The culture of oats is much the
same as barley. The custom of making this grain an after, or, as
it is called here, an etch crop, is universally reprobated, and rarely
practised." Wright's Essex, vol. I. 2. Tusser translates etch
" stubble." In Kent it signifies " to eke out, to augment." Mor-
timer renders etch or eddish " ground from which a crop has been
taken. The word eddish is also found written eadish^ earshj and
eagrass. In Lancashire, after-math^ ^ddish^ And fog are indiscri-
minately used for the after-grass, i, e, the second crop of grass after
the hay is mown. See also Grose under " eddish,'* The word is

14 X 6L0SSABT OF ESSEX.

corrupted from A. S. edisc, edish, after-math ; from the adjectival
form of ed, anew, again, like Latin re.

Ether, another form of edder.

Every etch, every other. Clarh,

F.

Pairing, a present bought at a fair. In the N. of England/aer
is also used for a present at or from a fair.

Fared, felt, seemed. In Suflfolk* to fare is to appear, to seem.

Farrard, forward, in advance.

Favour, to resemble personally. Clark, In some parts of
England favour means look, countenance, to resemble in
countenance ; and favourable is beautiful. In Shakespeare's
Measure for Measure, III. 2, favour means countenance ; in
Troilus and Cressida, I. 2, complexion ; in Lear, I. 4, quality.

Feard or Afeard, afraid. "Do you ever fish here? — Ny,
zir. Do you bathe ? — Ny, zir. Do you row ? — Ny, zir. Why
not ? — Feard a bin drownded. "

Fefp, to obtrude, to put upon in buying or selling.

Feft, to put oflf or dispose of wares. In "Norfolk Jeft signifies
to persuade, or endeavour to persuade.

Fell, to come round or return periodically. It may be from
to fally in the sense of to happen, befall, come. '* Since this
fortune falls to you.'* Shakespeare, Compare Sw. Goth/aZZa, to
fall and to happen.

Fellar, fellow.

Fessino, forcing, pressing, or obtruding a thing on one.

Flacked, hung loose, agitated by the wind. Probably from
flaccid, L. flaccidus, Clark,

Flaring, very bright, gaudy. Clark,

Fleck, a simile used to express great speed, &c.

A GLOSS ABY OF ESSEX. IS

Fleck, the soft hair of a rabbit. Another orthography of
fieeee, from A. Q.fleos^flys^Jlese (D. vliesj Gt.Jliesi)^ from L. vellus.

Fleet, a strip of water fringed with reeds. In some counties
fleet signifies a river or rivulet. The word is from A. S. fleot
(Flat, fleet, a small river, G. flethe, a channel), a place where
vessels float, a bay, guli^ arm of the sea, the mouth of a river ;
fleot-an, to float, swim.

Fleet-mile, skim milk. One of the meanings of the non-
provincial word fleet is skimming the surface ; and Webster
gives " fleet, to skim milk, local in England,^^ We have also the
provincial word flotten-milk ; and flat-milk is used in Lincolnshire
for skimmed milk. The D. vlote melk has the same meaning.

Fling out, sometimes used for " take away."

FocB, force.

FoiNE, fine.

FoizoN. Plenty. Grose makes it also a Sussex word ; and
he renders the Suffolk foison or fizon, the nature, juice, or
moisture of the grass, or other herbs, the heart or strength of it.
The word is derived from F./oi«on, O. F. fusoriy abundance, great
quantity, from L./w«w), pouring forth.

Pain e char e bon peisson
Leur mit el nef k grant fu88on»

Haveloc.

Fill, a field, meadow.

Fillnut, filbert.

FiMBLE, to touch lightly. Tusser has flmble ; the ** female
hemp, soonest ripe and fittest for spinning, but is not worth half
so much as the carle with its seed ; Ess. and Suss. The fimble
to spin, and the carle for his seed." See Grose's Glossary.

Fine, to find.

FiNNiGKS, a tawdry-dressing female ; perhaps etymologically
connected mth flnical^ spruce, neat, affected ; a word formed from
fine.

16 A GLOSSARY OF BSSEX.

Fit, feet.

Following Time, a season in which fine weather and showers
follow each other in quick succession. Clark.

For, sometimes for of.

Foreman. A curate is so called in some parts of the
county.

For't, for it.

FouN*, found ; also for had. " What soart o' wether hev yow
foun'?" .

FowER, four.

FowERS, the 4 o'clock meal (at least at harvest time).

Frail Basket, a shapeless flexible mat basket, without bottom
or handle, save two eyelets in the mat. Clark, The word is
derived from Norman frail, a basket; perhaps from 0. Fr.
fraile, frael, fragile, menu, from L. fragilis. Roquefort has,
however, frael, balle, caisse, Sindfrayel; i.q, fraiaus, cabas, panier
de jonc ; fiscella. Wedgwood gives also 0. Fr. frayel,freau, a
mat basket. As a non-provincial word/rai7, fraile, frayel, seems
to have been used for a basket to carry a particular sort of fruit.
Thus, Bailey gives /rat7, a basket of raisins, figs, &c., about 75 lbs.
" You have pick'd a raisin out of a fraile of figges." Lilly's
Mother Bombie, ed. 1632, sig. Gc. VI. Frayel, Piers Ploughman,
p. 252.

Frins, friends.

Frum, from.

FuDDER, further.

Furnitude or Furnitade, furniture.

FuRRiNER, foreigner. " I have heard the peasants of Bocking
apply the term * furriner ' to any one bom in the Colnes." Forby,
p. 296, says, " The people of Norfolk look upon any one as a
foreigner who had not the good fortune to be bom in one of
the sister counties, or in Essex, and call him a shire-man."

Fust, first

A GLOSSABY OF ESSEX. 17

G.

Gab, idle talk, nonsense, "lob-loll." Clark, From 0. Eng.
gahhe^ talking, to chatter, joke ; gabbing, talking, idle talk ; from
A. S. gabban, to scoff, mock, delude, jest. Chaucer in several
places uses gabbe, to chatter, to lie; and gabbere for a liar,
chatterer.

Quod the this sely man, " I am no labbe,
Though I it say, I am not leef to gabbe."

The Milleres Tale, 323.

Gal, girl. The use of ^aZ and boa in some parts of the county
is curious ; for instance, instead of speaking of Charlotte and
John, they say, " the gal Charlotte," " the boa John."

Games, tricks, jokes.

Gannigking, gossiping, idling.

Gaster, to frighten, "to startle, scare or affright suddenly."
Grose, Shakspeare uses gast for frightened (Lear), In Chaucer
gaste signifies to make aghast.

« No dreem," quod he, ** may so myn herte gaste. "

The Nonne Priest his Tale, 268.

And gasPness amazement, fright. Both gast and gaster are
obsolete verbs, signifying to make aghast, to frighten ; and
gastre is still a provincial word for an apparition. Compare
Frs. gasty D. geest^ spectrum ; and Chaucer's gost^ goost, spirit.

Gauls, void spaces in coppices.

Gawm, to look idly about. Compare the Northern word
gairnning, a\?kward, lubberly ; gawmUss^ stupid, awkward, lubberly,
See also Grose's Glossary.

Gawne, gave ; still in use in Essex. Howard, Household
Books, p. 466. Halliwell.

\8 A OLOSSABY OF ESSEX.

Gays, ornamental prints in books. In Suffolk court-cards are
called gay-cards,

Geazon, scarce, hard or difficult to procure. Halliwell gives
also geasouj scarce, and gescnij rare, scarce, as common provincial
words elsewhere.

Gehezie Cheese, very poor cheese, from which most of the
cream has been taken away. According to Grose the word is also
used in Suffolk.

Gentily, gently.

GiNNiGE, neat, complete, perfect. HalliwelL Corrupted from
neat^ or Fr. riet ; from L« mtidus^ niteoj to shine, be clear, fair or
fine.

'GiNST, against.

Git, get.

Glare, a fixed or wild look, a staring. Clark, Spencer uses
glare for a fierce look, and Bailey renders to glare to overblaze,
to dazzle, to stare intently upon ; from Fr. esclairer (now eclairer)

Go AFTER, to court. Clark,

GoEL or GoLB, yellow ; from Sw. and Dan. gul^ guul^ yellow,
whence guld^ gold. " In Suffolk and Essex goel or gole is still used
for bright yellow." Rev, S. Lysons.

GoFFE, a mow of hay or corn. In Norfolk and Suffolk the
word is spelt gqfe^ and gove is to stack the corn.

GoFFLE, to gobble, to eat fast ; "ta eat &8t and greedily."
Clark, Another orthography of gobble.

GoiNGS-ON, proceedings, doings.

GoLE, prominent. Compare the south country word gole or
goal, big, large, full, florid.

GOLLS, the hands. The following namby-pamby verse is ad-
dressed to children : —

Warm golls, warm,

Boys are gone to plough ;
If yon want to warm goUs,

Warm golls now.

A 6LOSSABT OF ESSEX. 19

Grose gives also goll^ a hand or fist ; " give me thy goll. VarJ'^
Forby (E. Anglia) gives " golhy fat chops, or ridges of fat on the
fleshy parts of a corpulent person. It is in Johnson, with autho-
rities, as used contemptuously for hands, paws. It is not known
to us in that sense." Bailey says " goUs, q.d. walds^ of Sax.
wealdan^ to wield, because the hands direct and order business.*'
Qu. yvaKovj the palm of the hand, literally a hollow, a cavity
(yvdKoSt that may be grasped in the hand), L. vola^ id.

Gomes, gums, the flesh in which the teeth are set. Prom A. S.
goma (Sw. & D. gom^ F. gomme), the gums of the mouth.

Goon, going.

GowND, gown.

Greening-pits. At the time Morant wrote the Colchester
oysters were frequently distinguished by a green tinge, which the
fisherman had the art of communicating to them. In order to
green the oysters, they were put into pits about two feet deep, in the
salt marshes, which are overflowed only at spring tides, to which
they have sluices, and let out the salt water until it is about afoot
and a half deep. These pits, from some quality in the soil, will
become green, and communicate their colour to the oysters that
are put in them, in four or five days, though they commonly let them
continue there six weeks or two months, in which time they will be

a dark green But this distinction of Colchester

from other oysters is rapidly wearing away ; indeed, it may be
said that few or none of them are now ever greened. See Crom-
well, Hist. Colchester, p. 293.

Grift, slate pencil. From Dan. and Sw. griff el.

GuD, good.

GuLTCH, to fall heavily (Clark) : a word probably derived firom
sound.

GuLLiON, stomach-ache, cholic (Clark). Qu. L. gula, gullet,
throat ; Gr. xwAov, the colon or great gut, whence xw^jxov,
relating to the colic, and colicus (dolor).

20 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

Gumption, nonsense, foolish talk {Clark), In various dialects
gumption is talent, understanding, contrivance, and in slang ^t^mp-
tion or rumgumption is rendered comprehension, capacity. In
some parts of E. Anglia gumptious is quarrelsome. Grose derives
it from gawm to understand ; it is more probably corrupted down
from comprehension.

Gut, got.

Gye (jy), Rammumlus arvensis, Halliwell renders gye "the
name of different weeds growing among corn. Easty Forby says
in E. Anglia it is applied to Rcmwnculua arvensis and various corn-
field weeds. HoUoway says this name is given in Norfolk to
different weeds growing among com, the Ranunculus arvensis and
the different species of Galium, See Notes and Queries, 4th S.
viii. 108.

H.

Ha, have.

Ha'at, have it.

Hape, half.

Hainish, impleasant, as " hainish weather." The original and
more correct spelling of heinous (Chaucer, heynous)^ hateful,
odious, horrid, outrageous ; from Fr. haineux, hateful, malicious,
from haine (0. Eng. hain, hayne), hatred, ill-will.

Hale, an instrument to hang a pot over a fire, " a hammel "
(Bailey), Compare Dan. hale^ tail, train, hale to hawl ; Sw. hala id.,
Fr. healer, to draw with a rope, 0. Eng. Tuile to pull or draw with
force, drag.

Halp-shanny, half- cracked. Qu. the Lincolnshire sTian,
shamefacedness, bashfulness ; and the Northern shandy , wild.

Handle, to make use of, to use, to place.
^ Handy- WAKP, "a kind of cloth made at Cocksal, Booking,
/ and Br&intree, in Ebbbz, and mentioned in Stat. 4 & 5 Phil. &

A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 21

Mary." Coioel, " Handewarpa^ a kind of cloth formerly much
made in Essex.'* HallmelL

Hant, had not.

*Hafs, abbreviation of perhaps.

Har, her.

Hard, heard.

Harye, a haw, i, e, a close or small piece of land near a house.
N. Essex.

Hatch, a frequent adjunct of local names in Essex ; as Anbury
Hatch, Chingford Hatch, Fox Hatch, Hoastly Hatch, How Hatch,
Kelvedon Hatch, Newport Hatch, Pilgrims' Hatch, West Hatch.
Morant says hatch means ^^ a low gate towards the forest." In
Owl and Nightingale, 1056, Coleridge renders hatch *^ a small door."
The word is however occasionally to be met with in other
counties, as in Hants, Somerset, and Surrey ; and is derived from
A. S. haca^ a bar or bolt of a door, a hatch ; pessulus. See Notes
and Queries, 2nd S. vol. x. pp. 107, 197, 238, 316.

Haumly, ugly ; as a haumly woman, a haumly horse.

Haut, halt. Clarh.

Hazle, stiff as clay, &c. Halliwell. See next.

Hazelt Brick Earth, a kind of loam found in some parts of
Essex. HallmelL Webster renders hazel-earth " a kind of red
loam ; " and hazelly^ " of the colour of the hazel-nut ; of a light
brown."

BLltsel, the hay seaon. From A. S. heg hay, sel time.

Heave, hive, i. e. a bee-hive. " Yow want a swarm heaved
into yowr own heave. See Notes and Queries, 2nd S. v. 119,
302. A. Holt-White.

Hev, Heve, to have.

Hinder, yonder. In the Northern counties it signifies remote*
From A. S. hinder^ remote ; hinariy hindan, behind. Webster gives
hmd, backward!; comp.hindery superl. hindmost.

HoAP, tohelp. " I hoaped her along." Hoap, helped. Ctefe.
Halliwell.

22 A GLOSSABY OF ESSEX.

HoBBT, uneven, roagh. From Frs. and D. hohbelig^ id. ; also
knappy, cragged ; D. hohhelm^ to toss to and fro. Compare Eng.
hobble, to walk lamely ; hobble, an unequal halting gait.

HoDMADOD) a shell-snail. Webster writes the word hodmandod^
which he renders " a shell-fish, otherwise a^^didodman {Bacon) •^
Under dodman he says, " a fish that casts its shell like the lobster
and crab ; also called dodmcmdod (^Bacon).^* According to Halli-
weU, in the South of England the word hodmandod is used for a
s nail-shell, and sometimes for the snail itself.

So they hoisted her down just as safe and as well.
And as snug as a hodmandod rides in his shell.

The New Bath Guide, ed. 1830, p. 36.

In the V/est of England hodmandod means a scarecrow. The
proper spelling of the word is no doubt hodmadod; probably
from iJie provincial word hod, a hood, cap, also any kind of cover-
ing (firom A. S. hod, whence hood) ; and mad, an earth-worm.
See Mad.

HoQGiNS, the sand sifted from the gravel before the stones are
carted upon the roads. Wedgwood thinks it is so called from the
jogging motion of the sieve ; from 0. N. hagga, to move, to jog.

HoGLiNG. Apple hoglings are baked apple dumplings. The
word may be a corruption of codlin, which however properly
signifies an apple coddled (JPomvm coctile), or one suitable for
codling or used for that purpose. To codle or coddle is to parboil
or soften by the heat of water.

HoiLAND, island.

HoiSTER, to support. Probably from hoist, hoise^ to heave or
lift up ; from Fr. hausser.

HopPET. One writer suggests that this word may mean a small
hop-garden :" Roding Alta Rectory Terrier, 1610 . . . One
hoppet of about a rood, and the churchyard/' Newcourt's Reper-
torium. But see Hoppit.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 23

HoppiT, a small field, generally one near a house, of a square
form. HalUwelL

Hoss^ horse.

HouNGES, the appendage to the collar of a cart-horse that
covers his neck. It may possibly be etymologically connected
with haunch^ hanch. Fr. hanche,

HousEN, houses (an old plural).

HuED, held.

Hulk, a heavy fall. Clark, A word probably formed by
sound.

HuL, to throw : "hul it away." For httrL

HuLLiDAY, holiday.

HuME-BOOE, hymn book. Clark.

HuMOURSOME, complaisant, courteous ; to treat with kindness*
Clark,

HuNEJS, a miser, a niggard. Clark. Hunks is used by Dryden
for a covetous sordid man, a miser, a niggard. The word is also
found in L^Estrange, Gray, and Addison. Todd gives Isl.
himskar, sordid. Webster refers to Frov. "Eng, kunk, hunch, hump.

Hutch, a chest, a large box. Clark. The same as hucohe (in
Chaucer, vnche), an ash chest; from A. S. havacca. In some parts
of England hiUch is a coop for an animal ; also a trough or bin,

Hyle, oil.

I.

Iles, see Ails,

Inges, for ingSf i. e. meadows ; as the salt inges. The word is
from A. S. iTig, inge, or meadow, pasture, enclosure (Goth. vmga).
Inquiration, an inquiry.
Imtossicated, intoxicated. Clark.

J.

Jacob, a frog. A corruption of jak^^ jakie^ ^tovm^^v^ ^^sss^s^^

24 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

for the frog. Nemnich (Techn. Lex.) under " Rana paradoxa "
[Rana piscis, Proteus marinusj gives the Fr, synonym, "^ocHe,
grenouille II queue/' The word is also found in Linnseus,
D'Orbigny, Sibylle de M6rian, and Wagler. In Laurenti it
occurs under " Proteus raninus.'* See also Encyc. des Gens da
Monde, art. "Grenouille," by Lemonnier. Nemnich renders
Rana bombina in Eng. natter jack, and in Russ. uk. The word
was no doubt formed by sound.

Jags. See rags.

Jahing, for jawing, i, e. talking. " She's in a jahing yumer
to-day."

Jar, to scold, expressive of anger. Prom jar, to creak, make
a harsh noise ; from L. garrire, to chirp, chatter.

Jarney, journey.

Jes, jest, just. Clark,

JiCE, a very small quantity; "a very small quantity of a
powder, &c." Clark, A corruption of chiche ; in Chaucer,
niggardly, sparing ; from Pr. cMche, niggardly (Roquefort, chicej
avarice, vilenie, mesquinerie ; cMce, manager, mesquin, qui donne
pen) ; which Bracher derives from ciccum, that which is of little
worth ; but qu. Sp. ehico, small.

Jink, to try money by ringing it. A word formed by sound.

JoGOSHUS, jocose, facetious, merrily, dark.

Joggle, a shaking, a jogging.

Johnny, a word frequently used for " friend." " Bob " is also
used in the same sense, but not so often as " Johnny." '* Mary " is
applied to females.

JouLTERHEAD, a blockhead, a clown, dark,

JouN, joined.

Jounce, a jolt, a sudden shaking. Clark, For jaunce, to jolt
or shake ; from Fr. ja/ncer,
• JouY,joy.

JuB, a very slow trot; between a trot and a walk. Clark, A
word probably formed by sound.

A GLOSSABY OF ESSEX. 25

JuLE, a hard blow, a jolt. Clarh, In the W. of England Jw^Aj
is to shake, splash Jolt, give a hard blow ; and in Devonshire j*t«%
is to jolt. Perhaps another orthography of jolt,

K.

Keeping Room, the sitting room, the room usually sat in by
the family. (East.) HalliwelL In some counties " to keep '*
is used for to dwell, to inhabit.

Keount, count ; like the American '* reckon," I keount, i, e,
I reckon, calculate.

Keow, cow.

Eep, kept.

Kex. Mr. J. W. Savill, of Dunmow, says, " in Dunmow and
North Essex generally kex is limited to the dried sere stalks of
the hemlock and hog fennel. ' As light as a hex ' (pronounced hix)
is a common expression." Boys make miniature windmills of
the split stalks." In many English counties (both N. and S.) the
stem of any suitable plant, when hollowed out and the pith ex-
tracted, is called a keck, A keck may therefore be made of an
elder stem, or hemlock, or rush, or butter-bur, &c. An empty
sugar-cane is a keck. Bees are fed with kecks filled with
sugar, &c., and introduced into their hives. In some parts of the
country also hollow elder stems (then called kecks) are used as
moulds for home-made candles. Bailey gives kecks, dry hollow
stalks. This is precisely the meaning of the word, and the form
in use in several counties. See Notes and Queries, 5th S. viii.
169, 454 ; ix. 113, 417 ; x. 66.

Kidder, a huckster, " called in the North a badger." Grose,
Halliwell gives kiddier, a huckster. East,

ElILTERS, tools, instruments ; the compound parts of a thing.
** The kilter is the part of the scythe used for collecting the
matter mown ; and kiltering is properly getting in the com."
The word may be from L. cikliac^ l\i<^ wwiXjet <ii %» ^^^^.^^'5w^^£SiA

^L.^^

26 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

knife, especially the iron part near the handle. We have how-
ever the 0. Eng. word kelierj frame, order, which Skinner derives
from Dan. opkilter^ to gird ; and Bailey, from L. cultural trimming.

KiTCH, catch.

Kittle, kettle.

Kix. See Kex.

KiVERED, covered.

Knaa, know.

Knack, the right way, dexterity. Clark, In var. dial, of
England knacky is ingenious, handy, cunning, crafty, i, e, having
a knack. To knack in some parts of England signifies to speak
finely. It comes from A. S. cndmncg^ knowledge, a knowing,
from cndwanf to know.

Knowed, knew.

L.

Laieb, soil, dung. Grose gives it also as a Suffolk word.
Compare Eng. layery a bed of mortar ; D. leger^ a lying-place.

Labgess-spending, a gift to reapers in harvest time ; a supper
given to the farmers* labourers after the harvest is got in.
*' Largess, a bounty ; the reapers in Essex and Suffolk ask all
passengers for a largess, and when any money is given to them
all shout together. Largess I Largess I '' Ghrose. This word
occurs in the Taming of the Shrew, 1. 11. 150 ;

I'll mend it with a largest.
It is also firequently met with in Chaucer :

Thow art largesse of pleyn felicitee.

Chaucer's A, B, C, (B,)

With bnghtnesse of beauty in her face,
Fulfilled of largesse and of alle grace.

Of Quene Anelgda, 145.

Mery and full of jolit^,
And of largesse a-losed be«

2%e Bomamt of the Boss, 2354.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 27

" But, for als moche as some folk ben unresonable, men ought to
eschiewe {ole-largesse that men clepen wast. Certes, ho that is
fool-large, " he yiveth nought his catel, but he leseth his catel."
The Fersones Tale (Morris, vol. iii. p. 338). The literal meaning
of largess is a free gift, a dole, a present ; from Fr. largesse ; from
L. largitioj liberal expense, bountifulness ; from largus, very great,
bountiful, plentiful.

Larned, learned.

La'-ri, an exclamation.

Las, last. Clark.

Leaf, leave.

Lear, to scowl, to frown. Probably the same with leer, to look
obliquely, which Swift uses for " to turn the eye and cast a look
from a comer, either in contempt, defiance, or frowning, or for a
sly look."

Lease, a piece of ground of two or three acres. Grose gives it
also as a Suffolk word ; and he renders the west country word, a
coW'lease, cow-pasture. It is perhaps the same as the obsolete
word leasoWy a pasture ; from A. S. lasj Icesew (G. lese)^ pasture,
common, pastura, pascuum.

Leas-ways, at least.

Leetle, little.

Leyens, the 11 o'clock meal (at all events at harvest time) ; a
corruption of elevens. Compare the Sussex elevener, a limcheon.

Lenty. See Linty.

Liddle, little.

LiEYE, as soon.

Limp, limber, supple. Etymologically the same as limber,

LiKTY, Lenty, slowness or laziness. Halliwell gives *^ lintyy
idle, lazy, fat, var. dial." A correspondent of Notes and Queries
suggests that the word may come from L. lentus^ slow ; another
correspondent, from Festina lente. Hasten slowly. See Notes and
Queries, 4th S. v. 46.

Lip, a basket for carrying seed^ GrQ&^^^ml<^^l\\^« "^^^vb^^^^N^^

28 A GL08SABT OF ESSEX.

Essex lib is a basket for carrying seed-corn. He gives also Sussex
leap or lib, half a bushel. Bailey has leap. Up, half a bushel, also
a corn-basket. E. C. Leap, for a basket, occurs in Wicklif and
Sherwood. The word is derived from A. S. leap, which Dr.
Bas worth renders — 1. a basket, hamper, corbis, calatkus', 2. a well,
a twiggen, snare to catch fish, in Lancashire now called a leap ;
3. a chest, coffer.

List, to enlist.

List of hearing, ready, quick, not at all deaf. Clarh From
A. S. list (Dan. Sw. Isl. D. Frs. id.), science, wisdom, power,
faculty. Compare Coleridge's list, craft : Owl and Nightingale.

Live under, to be tenant to. Clark,

Loire, like.

Look at the nose, to seem out of temper, to frown. Clark,

Lope, to take long strides. Clark, Perhaps from lope, to run
or slip away ; in Cant, to follow or run after. Compare Fl. Dan.
Idbe, to run, Fl. D. loopen to leap.

LowANCE, for allowance, i, e, pay.

LuGSOME, heavy, lumbrous. This word is also used in other
parts of E. Anglia ; it comes from lug, something heavy to be
drawn or carried ; liig, to drag, move heavily ; from A. S. lyccan,
aluccan, geluggian, to pull. Compare blitJiesome from blithe, glad-
some from glad ; handsome, lonesome,

M.

Maake, made.

Mad, very angry. Clark.

Mad, an earth-worm. Kay has ^^ mad, made, an earth-worm.''
In the N. of England mad is used for maggot. The word is
derived from A. S. mogthe^ mohth, moth, matha (Goth, matha ;
D. mot, Q, motte), a moth.

Mag, to chatter.

Maggots, whims, strange fancies. Clark, In various dialects
in England maggoty is whimsical, M&ky, pVa^^^Vieii^^^ moggo^-

A 6L0SSABT OF ESSEX. 29

headed. The word is from maggot (W. macai, Belg. maede^ G.
madey a mite in bread), a worm or grub so called (particularly
the fly-worm), which changes into a fly.

Make a noise, to scold, to be angry with. Clark.

Make count, to intend, to reckon on any thing. Clark,

Man, gentleman.

Mavis, the thrush. Mavis the singing thrush. See Ray^s Diet.
Tril. p. 29. Still in use.

** Cromes, popinjayes, pyes, pekocks, and mavies,

AihmoU'a Theat. Chem, Brit, 1652, p. 116." EalUwell.

And therat lough the mavis in a scorn.

The Court of Love, 1388.
And thrushes, temis, and ma/oys.

The JRomaunt of the JRose, 665.

" Mavis, for a thrush (^Turdus mtmcus, Linn.), is ah 0. Eng. word,

but, although obsolete in South Britain, it is the common name,

and almost the only one known among the peasantry in S.

Jamieson. The word is of French origin. **Mauvi8, mauve, mauveis,

alouette hupp6e, petite grive de la troisi^me esp^ce, qui chante

fort bien (le Turdm ruber), Ce n'est point un oiseau qui vole sur

les eaux, ni une poule d^eau, comme le dit Joubert, mait. ce que

nous appelons m>auviette, malvitius, en bas Bret, milvidj milwit^

miljlt, milhuit.

La mawoia qui conunence tk tentir,
Et li douz son dou ruissel de gravele.

Me font resovenir,
De la oti tuit mi bon desir sont.

Chastelain de Coney (Boquefort).

Mauvta^ oyseau, esp^ce de grive ; de Tltalien vnalvigiOf qui peut
avoir 6t6 fait de malus, Malus, maliy malivus^ malivi, malivigiuSj
malvigiuSf malvigio : h cause du mal que font les mauvis en
mangeant les raisins. Belon, dans son livre de la Nature des
Oyseaux. * Les mauvis sont coutumiers de se paistre des raisins,
et faire grand d4gast 6s vignes ; comm^ ^kx&^\ V^xi\\^^^^sssi2«^^'^^

30 A 6L0SSABT OF ESSEX.

parquoy I'on en prend beaucoup en vendanges, en diverses
mani^res : et principalement avec un instrument qu'ils nomment
Bret.* " Menage.

Marster, for mister,

Martlemas Beef, beef dried in the chimney, like bacon;
perhaps cured about the period of Martinmas^ the feast of St.
Martin, 11th Nov.

Mary. See Johnny.

Mawther, Mauther, a great awkward girl ; generally used
contemptuously. Clark, The word is also found in Norfolk
and Suffolk. Elilian derives it from Belg. modckj Tnoddehen^
pupa, puella, virguncula; Spelman from Dan. moer^ virgo, puella;
or from Belg. masgd, Gt, magdy with a feminine termination.
Wedgwood gives G. harmuttery 0. H. G. muater, D. rrjhoeder, the
womb, Lith. motere, a woman, a wife. See also Cowel and Bailey;
and Prompt. Parv. under moder^ servante or wenche.

Mai^hap, perhaps, it may happen.

Meag or Meak, a pea hook. Tusser renders meah *' a hook
with a long handle ; " and Bailey gives " meah^ meag, an instrument
for mowing of pease, brake, &c." It may be from Fr. mechej the
spiral screw of a cork-screw, an iron whimble.

Meege, mice.

Meller, miller.

Mew, to mow, to cut with a scythe.

Mine, mind.

Misery, pain, a continuous aching. Clarh,

Mizzle, to succumb, to give up, yield. Clark,

MoANTHS, months.

MoARN, morn, the morning.

Mob, a morning cap. Malone, in a note on ^' The moble queen*'

(Ham. 5, ix.), says, "The ordinary morning head-dress of ladies

continued to almost the end of the reign of Geo. II." Stevens

adds, " In the counties of Essex and Middlesex this morning cap

Aas always been called a mo&, and not a ma&. My spelling of the

A 6L0SSABY OF ESSEX. 31

word agrees with its most familiar pronunciation." Conf. Richard-
son's and Todd's Johnson's Dictionaries.

MoLLONCHOLY, melancholy.

MoNSUS, monstrous, great.

MORRAR, morrow.

More, for Mauther, q. v,

MoRT, a great number. In Lincolnshire a mort signifies a
great abundance. Grose renders the Kentish mori or mot, many,
abundance, a multitude ; a mort of money, apples, men, &c. In
Devonshire and Cornwall they use the expression " a mort of
things." In " The Rivals" we have " here's a mort of merry-making,
eh ? " Bailey gives also the old word murth, abundance ; and un-
der a morty the French a mort, which I do not find. Without doubt
the Fr. morty death, is sometimes used by way of exaggeration ;
and figuratively for " great pains," " great grief ; " and Shake-
speare sometimes uses " mortal " for " abounding ; " but the
provincial word is otherwise derived. Lye derives the word from
Cim. morgy Isl. margty multum, or mergd, multitudo. Wedg-
wood gives "0. N. margtj neuter of margr, much, mart (adv.)
much ; mergthy copia, abundantia, Ovdmr Mort is rather from
Fr. moult (found mout)^ much, very much, many, from L.
multum.

Mosey, having much soft hair about the face, Clark, Halli-
well gives " woaey, mealy, Glouc, ; rough, hairy, Suff. ; * incipiens
barbay a younge moocie bearde,' Elyot, ed. 1639." The word is a
corruption oi mossy (G, moosig)y full of moss or down (G. moos,
L. muscus).
MosLY, mostly.

Muck, rubbish, nonsense. From mucky dung.
MucKiNGER, a pocket handerchief. Clark. Muckeiider was
also formerly used in the same sense in Dorsetshire. In old
English it is written muckettery and is by some derived from
Sp. mocadero, of the same meaning, from m>dcOy mucus ; but it may
have been formed from the English -woid muck.

32 A GLOSSABY OF ESSEX.

Muggy, half intoxicated, tipsy. Perhaps from mug^ or from
muggy ^ moist, damp.

Mulch, straw, half rotten. Clarh, Wedgwood gives Pl. D.
moUh^ Bav. molschety objectionably soft, soft through decay.

Mum, silent ; secret anger. Halliwell.

Mummy, mother, a corruption of mamma, Clark.

Mus, must.

MusiciANEBS, musicians.

N.

Naa, no

Naarbour, neighbour. Clarh. Sometimes pronounced nahor.
Compare the prorincial word nehhor (Frs. neiber, D, nahuur, id.)

Nabob, neighbour. See Naarbour.

Nabe, near. Clarh

Nabve, nerve. Clarh

Nation, many, much, great, &c. Clark, For tarnation^
which is said to be a corruption of damnation,

Newy, nephew.

Newing, yeast or barm.

New Land, ground that has lain long untilled, and just
ploughed up. Grose,

Neckum, Sinkum, Swankum. The three draughts into which
a jug of beer is divided. The first two words would seem to
explain themselves. See also Swank.

Nex, next.

NiGG, a small piece ; etymologically the same as niggard.

Niggle, to dawdle after tediously. Clark,

NiPPET, a small quantity ; a diminutive of nip^ a sip or small
draught ; from Dan. nijppe, to sip (G. nippen).

No Sense, poor, sorry, not good. Clark,

NoicE, nice.

Nonce, designedly , purposely. A corruption of "once."

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 33

Webster renders " for the nonce," " for the once ; " i.e. for the
present call or occasion.

None or Both, neither.

Not, smooth, polled or shorn, as " not sheep," sheep without
horns ; also well tilled, as a " not field." Bailey gives not, " to
pull or shear." Halliwell says, " weU tilled, as a field." In Stowe
nott is to shear ; in Chaucer, shorn. Grose says that in Berk
« that field is not " signifies " that field is well tilled."

Noteless, stupefied ; perhaps for Tkzughtlesa,

Nut, not.

Nut Crome. See Crome.

NuvER, never.

Nuzzle^ the nose of a bellows. For nozzle, a diminutive nose

0.

Oad, old.

Oaf, off.

Gather, other.

Oavis, the eaves of a house. Halliwell. From A. S. efese
also a brim, brink, margo^

Obstropolous, obstreperous, unruly. Cla/rTe,

Op a fire, on fire, ignited. Compare Chaucer's ofbove ; above
ofnevo^ ofnewe, anew.

Off-hand Farms. Some who hold farms in different parishes
call those farms where they do not reside ^^ off-hand farms."

Ol, old.

Old Land, ground that has been untilled a long while, and is
newly broken up, HalliwelL

Ollis, always.

Onny, only.

OoD, would.

OoL, will.

Oommun, woman,

Orfan, often.

34 A OLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

Oup, up ; " cum oup," come up ; " struck oup," struck up.

Out of sight, an Irish expression, meaning to look after as
Jong as in sight. Clark.

Ov, of.

OvERANT, for overanenty opposite. To go overant, to cross the
river. From over and anent (evavrt)^ in 0. Eng. over, against.

Over night, the night previous. Clark,

OwD, old.

Own, tq acknowledge, to identify. Clark,

OxLiP, a cowslip. "This flower probably derives its name
from its sweetness, compared to the breath or lip of a cow or ox."
Grose,

Oye, eye.

p.

Paagles. Cowslips are so called by children in N. Essex. A
corruption of paiglea^ pagles, or pagils, the cowslip-primrose.
** Primula veris : common cowslip or paigle :" Pantologia. " Pagte^
or paigle:^^ Nares.

'* Blue hsLTeheUa^ pagles, pansies, calaminth."

Ben Jonson,

" The yellow marigold, the sunnes owne flower,
Toffle, and pintle, that decke faire Floraes bower."

Keywood^s Marriage Triumphed 1613.

In some of the Eastern counties paigles is also used for flowers
in general. Skinner suggests as a derivation A. S. pcell, colour,
tinctura, sc. k coloribus variis et jucundis."

Paddick or Paddock, a great toad or frog, fioth Spenser and
Shakspeare use paddick for a toad.

Paddock calls. Macb, I. i.

The word is from A. S. pada^ pad, a frog, a toad, D. padde, id.
Dan. paddey a frog, 0. N. padda. Compare provincial padstoolj
paddock-stool, a toadstool, D.paddestody id.

A 6L0SSABY OF ESSEX. 35

Parridge, Patridge, a partridge. The " Dog and Partridge '*
at Leigh is sometimes called the " Dog and Parridge.^'

Passin, passing.

Patridge. See Parridge.

Pay, to flog, beat, chastise ; as to pay a horse. Shakespeare
uses pay in the sense of to beat or thrash ; and to pay on is still
used colloquially for to beat with vigour, to redouble blows. To
discharge a debt, is to pay a debt ; to discharge a blow, to pay a
blow.

Peas-bolt, peas-straw. Bailey gives also peaa-hawm as a
country word for peas- straw.

Peck, sometimes used (or pick or pick- axe, especially in the
neighbourhood of Chelmsford.

Pegs, legs or feet. In other parts of England peg is variously /
used for a leg, foot, tooth.

Perish, to injure, to pain. HalliwelL This word is used in the
sense of" to be injured or tormented " in I. Cor. viii. 2. • ** And
through thy knowledge shall thy weak brother perish for whom
Christ died?"

Perk, lively. From perc^ to hold up the head with aflfected
smartness (Pope), To dress up, to make trim or smart, to prank
(Shaks,) Pei% properly erect, hence smart, trim ( Webster).

Persaivance, understanding, from perceivancey power of per-
ceiving,

PiGGATORY, great trouble, a corruption of purgatory.

Pile, pail.

Pillow-beer, a pillow case. The word pilhwheer is found
in Chaucer (The Prologe, 690-700) ; and in the Boke of the
Duchesse, 254, we have " and many a pelowe^ and every here of
cloth of Reynes to slepe softe." Webster says " pillow-beer is the
pillow-beai'er." It is derived from D. peluwe, puluwe (G. pfuhl^
Pl.j?o7, pohl^ A. S. pyle, pile)? from L. pulvillas^ diminutive of
pulvinu8 ioT pulvinulfM ; or from pulvivax ot ^Im-uaT.^^ ss^^jSbvss^^

^^

36 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

bolster, pillow ; from piluSy hair ; and hoer, hoerCy beer, here, a
portable bed (A. S. bedheer, bedber, a bed, hammock, bedbolster,
a pillow, bolster). Pillow-bier and pillow-slip are used in New
England for pillow-case. See Bartlett, Diet, of Americanisms.

Pillow- Slip, a pillow-case. See Pillow-beer.

PiN-PAT€HES, periwinkles. Perhaps from pin and 0. Fr.peisse
(slso peison, peisson) a fish.

PiPPERiDGE, the barberry tree ; pipperidges, barberries. The
same as piperidge, a corruption of Berberis, which in England is
chiefly found in a chalky soil, especially about Saffron Walden.

PiTLE, PiGHTLE, or PiKLE, This word occurs sometimes in
Essex for a close, croft, or enclosed field ; it is not, however,
peculiar to the county. Holloway (Provincialisms) says, ^^pitle
or pickle, It&l, piccolo^ little ; a small piece of enclosed ground, a
croft, used in Norfolk and the northern counties." A correspondent
of Notes and Queries, who does not think Holloway's derivation
satisfactory, says, "In Neweourt*s Repertorium Ecclesiasticum
Parochiale Londinense . . . the Second Volume, comprising
all the County of Essex, London 1710, foJio, this word occurs
several times: — * Ramsay Vicarage, Terrier, 1637 • . . One
croft or pightle of land of 4 acres,' p. 484. * Toppesfield Rectory,
Terrier, 1637 ... A garden with a pightle of 2 acres,'
P.-607. (See also pp. 6, 11, 40, 330, 688.) It is spelt pikle in three
places, pp. 79, 196, 410.' * Boxted Vicarage. It is said that the
vicarage-house standeth in a small pihle containing about an
acre,' p. 79. * Matching Vicarage, Terrier, 1610 ... A little
pikhj' p. 410. If pightle be the old form, it would be more natural
to connect it with pight, i.e. pitched, fixed, or settled, as it means
a close, croft,, or enclosed field. (Notes and Queries,. 2nd S. VII.
167)." Webster gives ^^pihtel, a little enclosure (local). The
obsolete word pight, pitched, fixed, determined. Conf. Sco.
pight or picht, from pitch, W. piciaw." But the word is doubtless a
corruption of plightel^ a diminutive ol plight, a small portion of

A aLOSSARt O^ ESSEIC^ 37

ground, a fold^ a double, a plait, from plica^ a fold. Cowel
has plita terrcB, and Bailey ^Zica terra. See also Cowel under
Pitell, alias Pightell, Pilta terrae, and Picle alias Pightell,
Pictellum, in some places called Pingle ; all synonymous
words.

Plased, pleased.

Plough-Money. In general Plough Monday, or the first
Monday of the Twelfth day, is the ploughman's holiday, when they
beg for the plough to drink. In Essex and Suffolk, at Shrove-
tide or upon Shrove Tuesday, after the confession, it was usual
for the farmer to permit his ploughman to go to the barn blind-
folded, and ** thresh the fat hen," saying " if you fcan kill her, then
give it thy men ; and go you and dine on fritters and pancakes."
Sports and Pastimes by Joseph Strutt, with additions, &c. by
Wm Hone, Lond. 8v. 1875, pp. 348, 349, referring to Warton's
Hist. Eng. Poet. vol. III. p. 307.

Pont, to pant.

Precious, great, extraordinary. Often used ironically, implying
worthlessness. Halliwell,

Presbyterian Trick, a dishonest bargain, a knavish trick.
Halliwell.

Pretty, pretty

Proide, pride.

Proper, very ; as proper nice ; proper good. This word is
not peculiar to Essex. In the Eastern Counties it signifies
becoming, deserved; and in Cornwall, according to Polwhele,
it signifies both handsome and witty.

Publick-housen, public-houses (an old plural).

PuGQLE, to stir the fire ; said to be from bevoege^ to move, stir
agitate ; hevagehe^ motion, movement, shaking.

PuLK, a hole full of standing water ; said to be quasi pool-lock ;
but more probably a diminutive o{ pool; from A. S. polj pul^
W. pwll.

ii38 A OLOSSABT OF BSSEX.

Purely, very well, in good health. How are yow ? Oh, I'm
purely.
Puss, purrse.
Put on, to tread upon, i.e. to impose upon.

Q.

Quackle, to suffocate, to choke, a word derived by sound ; or
from Dan. quoelej to stifle, suffocate.

Quackled, suffocated. See last.

Quarter. *^ Potatoes are sold by the quarter-peck instead of
by the pound."

Queer, to puzzle, to put or set wondering.

QuiNNY, not quite ; not just yet. Clark. Perhaps a corrup-
tion of quite and nay.

Quire, to inquire,

Quoins, coins, i.e. naoney.

QuoiTE, quite.

R.

Racks, range, kitchen fireplace. Clark, From A. S. racianj
to rake ; or Piatt, raken, to scrape, sweep together.

Rags and Jags, tatters, worn-out dress. Clark,

Rake, see Cart.

Ran, rain.

Ran, see Rap.

Rant. " One day you may find snipes by the side of fevourite
rants and fleets in fair numbers (in the Essex marshes), on
another spot radically distributed everywhere, and on another
nowhere." Standard, 26 December, 1874. Probably from mw,
run, a river or stream.

A GLOSSARY OF BSSEX. 39

Rap and Ran. Ran is a very old word, used in the laws of
Canute, signifying robbery or rapine ; hence the expression, " he
snatches all he can rap amd raiaV Copsey. " Ran in old writers
signifies open robbery." Lamharde, Clark has rap amd rend^
that is, all he can get or lay hands on. " To rap and rend, to
seize and tear or strip ; to fall on and plunder ; to snatch by
violence. *They brought off all they could rap and rend.'"
Webster, Rap is from A. S. hrepan^ hreppan, to touch ; or repan^
to touch, seize, from L. rapio .

Rapscallion, rascal. Clark.

Rassle, to stir the embers in an oven with a pole, dark.
The word may be from Dan. rasle, to rattle, to rustle, A. S.
hristlan, G-. rasseln^ ^ng.rustley Sw. rossla^ to rattle ; or from Dan.
I'yste^ to shake, stir, whence rysteUe^ a shaking.

Ready, rid, rid of. •

Rear, raw. From A. S. hreaw, hreoh, raw, cruel, fierce. In
some counties rear or rere is used for " underdone," as rere.egg,
an egg boiled slightly.

Releat or Releet, a spot where three roads meet, or, as Mr.
Charles Clark renders it, *^ a crossing of roads, a conjunction."
" The term elite or eleet is in Essex constantly employed by the
peasantry to denote the point at which four roads meet, and the
word is pronounced ^ four-to-leat,' that is to say, a traveller who
arrives at such a place will find roads to lead to four different
localities ; Ji-to-leat^ and three-to-leat are occasionally employed
in the same sense, to indicate the point of junction of five or
three roads." East Anglian, April, 1863. The word seems
to be derived from A. S. geleete, a going out, ending, meeting, from
loedan^ to lead, to take, whence from lat^ it leads, leat, an artificial
trench to conduct water to or from a mill. Rev. E. Gillett seems
to agree with this. Referring to vocabularies of the 10th to the
16th century, printed by Mr. Joseph Mayer, F.S.A., and edited
by Mr. Thomas Wright, F.S.A., he says " at p. 37 is L. compita^

40 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

A. S. weg-gelasta; and at p. 63, trivium, wege-UeUm^^ and he
adds, " these are clearly the original of reto<."

Rep, to reap, reaped.

Retch, to reach.

Rhe, the course of water, and the overflowing of it.

Rice, a rise, an elevation.

RiCHT-up, a stone jug,

RiDiN*, riding.

Right on, downright, violently, Clark*

Rimpled, rumpled, puckered. Compare Frs, rimpled^ and
D. gerumpeld^ wrinkled. On the East coast of England rimpU
is a wrinkle, with which compare Frs. and D. rimpelj id. Bailey
gives rimpeledy rumpled^ withered, and the Eng. rumple is to
wrinkle, to make uneven. Compare D. rompelen^ to rumple, A. S«
hrympelle^ or fold.

RoiGHTS, rights.

RoiLE. See Ryle.

RosiL or RosiLLT, a word applied to soil between sand and
clay, i.e. neither light nor heavy, Harrison mentions rosellie
mould. See Halliwell. Mortimer {Husbandry) says, " In Essex
mooiy land is thought to be most proper : that which I have
observed to be the best is a roaaely top and a brick earthy
bottom." He also speaks of " a true rossel or light land, whether
white or black." Bailey gives " rosland heavy land, also watery
moorish land." Compare the Welsh rhos, a moist large plain,
Cornish ros^ a mountain meadow, a common, moss.

RuFP, roof.

Ruinated, decayed, gone to ruin. Clark.

Runty, surly, crusty, ill-humoured. Clark, Qu. for grunty.

Ryle or Roile, to make angry.

Ryled, annoyed, vexed. This word may be connected with rail^
to utter reproaches, to use insolent and reproachful language,
from Sw. rallGf to prate, or Dan. drille^ to rally, jeer.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 41

S.

Saa, saw.

Saacy, saucy.

Sappy, smart, compact, clever ; as a sappy mare, a sappy cow.
Perhaps from sapient,

Sarah, a marsh hare, which is preserved for coursing and
therefore sacred from the gun. " Marsh hares are known in
Essex by the familiar and tender name of Sarah.*' Standard,
26 December, 1874.

Sarge, vegetables. Halliwell, The word is also used in
Norfolk and Suffolk.

Sarteny, certainly.

Sarvant, servant. Clark,

ScAGE, scarce.

Scaly, shabby, mean, unhandsome. Clark, The word is also
used in various dialects to denote mean, scabby; as a scaly
fellow. It seems to be from scall^ a scab, scabbiness, leprosy,
connected with scald ; or from scale^ from A. S. «c6a?e,'a shell.

" It is a dry »(jaW, even a leprosy upon the head or beard."

Lev, ziiL 30.

Shakspeare uses scall for a mean scabby fellow.

Scat, scared.

Sgatch-pawed, left-handed. Perhaps originally scath-pawedy
from scath (A. S. scathian) to damage.

Scran GH, a mark or scratch.

ScRARL, scrawl.

Screened, sheltered, protected. Clark,

Scringing, cringing.

Scrowgb, a crowd, a squeeze. Clark,

Scue, aslant, obliquely, awry. Clarh.

42 A GLOS3A2T OF £S£EX.

Scuttled, went fast. In Lincolnshire to Seattle is to walk
ikst. The word miy be from tcud. to run with precipitjaion. to fly.

Seal or Seel, time, seamen : *- what t^al of day U it ? ** what
time of day is it ? *^ It is a fine teal for yon to come at ! ^ spoken
ironically to persons coming too late. From A. S. mbL

Secuxt, second

Sen, since. Clark.

Sektle, to surprise, to startle. HalliwelL Doabtless cor-
mpted from a word sterile^ for startle. Chancer has at a ttert
for " in a momenL"

Set up, began, commenced. Clark.

Setting, shutting. In March or April yearly proclamation
is made near Mersey Stone, which is within the jorisdiction of
the town (Colchester), that the River Colne is shot, and that all
persons are for bidden todredge, or take any oysters whatsoever,
before the feast of St. Mary Magdalen (July 22nd), and then to
come in and take licences. This is called setting, ».e. shotting
the Colne." Wright^s Hist. Essex, vol. I. 337.

Sew, sow.

Shain^t, shall not.

Shaky, feeble, emaciated. Clark,

Siiant, a pot or quart, a drover's expression ; as a '' shant o'
gatter," a pot of beer. Indeed, shant is a common slang word for
a pot or quart. The word is probably from A. S. scane^ drink,
what holds the drink, a pot (Plat D. sckenkan, a tankard,
G. S. schmkCy in its oldest signification beaker, tankard, drink-
ing cup, at present a public-house, Ice. shenkr, a gift, drink).
ShakHpcaro uses shinker for a tapster. Gower has shenche for to
pour out. Compare Frs. schinke, D. schenkeuj id., the provincial
skinkevy a cup-bearer, Frs. D. scJwnker^ id., also Frs. schenkpot,
D. schenk ketel, a shinking-pot, the vessel from which the liquor
is poured.

Shay. Chaise.

A OLOSSABY OF ESSEX. 43

Shell. The carcase of a house. " But why do you call it a
shell ?" " Why ain't it holler like a shell ?" " That factory's a
shell."

Shere Man, any man who has not the good fortune to be bom
in one of the sister counties or in Essex. He is a sort of foreigner
to us ; and to our ears, which are acutely sensible of any violation
of the beauty of our phraseology, and the music of our pronun-
ciation, his speech soon betrays him. "Ay, I knew he must
be a shere man by his tongue." Forby, Vocab. East Anglia.

Sheu, showed.

Shimmer, a glimmer. Chaucer uses shimmer for to gleam,
glisten, and shimiring for glimmering ; and shimper in Suffolk is
to shine. The word is from A. S. scymrian (G. schimmem,
D. scJiemeren)

Ship, sheep.

Shoon't, should not.

Shore. A sewer is so called in the neighbourhood of Plaistow.

Shot, money. Clark, In other counties sh>ot is a provincial
word for a reckoning at an inn : " He paid his shot." Another
orthography of scot (scot and lot), from A. S. sceat, a part, portion,
money, tax, tribute, toll, price, gift, Fr. ecot, shot, reckoning, ce
que chacunpaie de sa part pour un repas,

Shote, short.

Shote, a young hog. Ains worth has shote, a young hog, or a
half-grown unfattened hog ; Hollo way, shoot, a young swine
which is shooting or growing up.

Showy, shy (G. scheu).

Shuck, shook, shaked. Clark,

Shud, should.

Shummaker, shoemaker.

Shuma, should not.

Sigh, such. Clark,

Sid, seed.

44 A GLOSSABT OP ESSEX.

Sides, besides. Clark,

iSiGHT, a great number.

Sights, peep-shows, &c. Clarh,

Simpson. The herb groundsel. From F. senegoUf from L. senecio.

Sin, seen.

Sing small, to put up with less than was expected or promised ;
*' equivalent to, must be content with less than appearances
promised." Clark,

SiNGAFY, signify.

SiNKUM. See Neckum.

SiTHE, a sigh. In Derbyshire sike is to sigh. The word is
from the A. S, verb sican (D. zugten^ Dan. sukker^ Sw. sucka),

SiTHTN, sighing.

Sizzle, to bum. Clark, Probably from «w«, to hiss, a local
word used in some parts of England, but in universal popular use,
in New England ; from D. msen^ G. sav^en, Dan. mse^ Sw. msa^
to buzz, rush, hiss, whistle.

Skillet, a little round brass pan with a handle like to that of
a pail, and used for boiling milk, &c., from F. escuellete. Compare
the Scottisli skellet^ a small kettle or boiler.

Slammages, a slattern, an untidy female. Clark,

Slaughter, a great alteration involving some destruction ;
e,g, applied to the thorough repair and renovation of an old
mansion.

Sliver, a splinter of wood. The word is found in Hamlet,
" an envious slive broke." It comes from the old sliverj alive, to
split, to divide longwise, from A. S. slifan, to cleave.

Slud, mire, from sludge, mud, mire, soft mud ; from L. lutam,
or from A. S. slog, a slough, D. slyk.

Slump, to step or fall into the dirt (perhaps suddenly), from
Dan. slumpe, to get a thing by chance ; slump, hazard, chance ;
Sw. slump, chance, accident, casualty, hap, G. schlumpe.

Smack, to come or go against any thing with great force.

A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 45

Smart, to undergo, to injare ; also to cause pain ; from A. S.
Wiertan, Compare the provincial smerte, to smart, D. smarts dolor.

Smib, a kind of small fish. "In Essex is a fysshe called a
«mie, whyche, if he be longe kept, will tume to water." Elyot,
*^ Apua, a smie." NomencL The word seems to be from the
Sw.-Goth. sma, Dan. smaae^ Plat and Ice. sma, little, small.

Smoile, smile.

Shuck, smoke.

Snage, the sndff of a candle. ffalliwelL Said to be from
A. S. maca or Dan. meg^ a snake, and named from its
resemblance ; but in Scotland to suite the candle is to snuff it ;
and the word may be from A. S. midan^ mitkan (G. schneiden)^ to
cut.

Snape, snack.

Snarth, the long handle of a scythe. Properly math (0. Eng.
9mad^ 8neaih\ from A. S. mosd,

Snew, snowed.

Snoug, snng.

SoAD, sold.

SoADGERS, soldiers. Clark,

SoiGHTS, sights.

Sot, set or sat.

Spake, spoke.

Spalt, brittle, &om Dan. spalte, to split, slit, cleave, spalte^
split, slit, cleft, fissure, G. spalten^ to split, cleave, Frs. epaltje,
D. spalten.

Spare, save ; as " to spare time," to save time.

Spote, sport.

Sprunk, to crack or split. Ealliwtll, From Dan. BptoRkke^
to crack, chink, burst.

Sprunny, a sweetheart.

Spud, a short dwarfish person. Halliwell, Johnson uses
tpud for a short knife, any short thick thing, in contempt ; Bailey,

46 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

for a short sorry knife, a little despicable fellow. Todd thinks
the word may come from It. sjpada, a kind of sword. But spud
oflen signifies the short sprout that commences a fresh stem in
herbaceous plants. Qu. Dan. spyd^ a spear, Ice. spiot,

Sput, spot.

Squarls, squalls. Clark,

Squench, quench.

Squiggle, to shake about.

Squint, a look, to observe slyly. Clark,

Squolk, a draught of beer or other liquor.

Squolsh, the sound produced by the fall of soft heavy bodies.

Stand, to put up with, non-resistance. Clark,

Starred, stirred.

Steel, the long straight handle of a hoe, fork, rake, &c. Clark,
Compare the provincial stele^ a handle. From A. S. stelf stde^
D. steely a handle.

Stell, still.

Stew, a store pond, a small pond where fish are kept for the
table. *' Salt water stews are used for various sorts of fish in
Foulness Island." From A. S. stoWy a place.

Stiff, heavy, burthensome. Clark,

Stingy, cross, ill-tempered. Clark,

Stomp, to stamp with the feet

Stroke, a game, a proceeding. Clark,

Stron', strong.

Stubbing, grubbing up roots, extirpating, pulling shrubs, &c.,
out of land. Compare the provincial word stub, axi old root or
stump ; also to grub up such roots. " And siubbe the old rote
away.'* MS. Cantab. Ff. ii., f. 29.

Stud, stood.

Stull, a luncheon ; a great piece of bread, cheese, or other
victuals. From Gt, stolly a piece, sort of bread.

Stup, stop.

A OLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 47

Sturt, start.

SuFPiN, SUFFING, Something.

SuMDY, somebody.

SUPPAS, surpass.

SuvRiNS, sovereigns. Clark,

SWABBLE, to quarrel, dispute noisily ; " a quarrel, loud talk-
ing." Clark, A corruption of squabble.

SWACK, to go or hit against violently. Clark,

Swank. At Booking, in Essex, that remainder of liquor at
the bottom of a tankard, pot, or cup, which is just sufficient for
one draught; which is not accounted good-mannered to divide
with the left-hand man, and, according to the quantity, is called
either a large or a little swank, Bailey,

SwANKEY, the commonest beer ; small beer, sometimes sold at
a penny a pint.

SwANKUM. See Neckum.

Swill, a mixture of middling and wash, used for feeding pigs.
Prom A. S. swelgan^ swylga/n to swallow. See next.

Swill, to stir round ; " swill it round," stir it round. See
also East Anglian, May, 1866.

Swipes, middling beer. Compare the Northern taplashy the
last and weakest running of small beer.

Swish-swash, slop. ** There is a kind of swish-swash made
also in Essex, and divers other places, with honicombs and
water, which the homelie countrie wives, putting some pepper
and a little other spice among, call mead, verie good in mine
opinion for such as love to be loose-bodied at large, or a little
eased of the cough ; otherwise it differeth so much from the true
metheglin as chalke from cheese." Harrison's England, p. 170.

T.

Tagkes, to mend apparel.

Take up, spoken of the weather after continued rain.

Tabes, tears.

48 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

Tarning, a turning.

Tavin, a tavern.

Tay. See Tye.

Tear, to go fast.

Tell, till.

Terrified, teased, pained, annoyed. Clark,

Tetchy, cross, peevish ; also changeable, as " tetchy weather."

Teuk, the redshank. Halliwell, Perhaps etymologically con-
nected with the Northern tew/el, a lapwing, D. kievit

Teuly. See Tewly.

Tew, two.

Tew, to be actively employed. From A. S. totoiow, G. Ziehen,

Tewly or Teuly, in ill-health, qualmish ; a word in common
use. " A person feeling rather poorly in the morning, and not
relishing his breakfast. * You are rather teuly this morning.' A
person in delicate health is called a teuly one." Halliwell, The
word is still more common in Cambridgeshire.

Tey. See Tye.

Theave, an ewe of the first year. Ray, Pegge however

says it is applied in the North to a sheep of three years old.

The word may be connected with theevo^ which in old deeds

■ Bailey renders " a young plant or set ;" also " any branch or

* bough of a tree."

1'his sidb, less than ; '* a mile this side ;" less than a mile.

Thole, the two pieces or handles of a scythe. From A. S.
thol (Fr. and Gal. dula), a pin or peg.

Thote, thought. Clarh,

Thrap, a crowd, to crowd. A place is said to be thrapt full
when greatly crowded. The word is etymologically connected
with troop^ to collect in numbers ; troop, a number of people ;
Fr. troupe, Ice. thyrpa, Dan. irop, Sw, tropp.

Three-square, triangular. Clark, " The cot a yard it had, in
shape a sort ov a three-square.^^ John Noakes, &c. In a note

A. OLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 49

Mr. Claik adds, "Who knows, perhaps, that Solomon the Second,
King James, imbibed all his vast mathematical knowledge in the
good county of Essex, for in his celebrated * Demonology ' he
talks of ^ square and triangular circles I' "

Throsh, thrash.

Thurrar, furrow. Clark. In Leicestershire it is thurrough*
From A. S. thurah, a gutter ; from thuruh^ thurhy through.

Thussins, in this way, thus. Clark. From thuSf A. S. id.

Thusty, thirsty.

TiGHTED-up, dressed neatly, put in order. Clark. One of the
senses of tightly is neatly ; and of tighinessj neatness, as in dress ;
and the old word tight^ as applied to dress, meant " not slatternly."

Tip the Cash, to hand it over, pay it immediately. Clark.

Tits, showy light horses. Clark.

Toad, told. Clark.

ToAD-iN-HOLE, a Small piece of meat baked in a pudding,
" A small joint or pieces of meat baked in a pudding or batter."
Clark.

ToiME, time.

ToTHERS, the others.

ToTTLE, to walk unsteadily. Another orthography of toddle^
to walk with short steps, as a child.

To-DO, fuss, disturbance. Clark.

TooD, it would.

ToPSiTivvY, topsiturvy, ^.e. top side t'other way.

To RIGHTS, properly, neatly.

TouRN, turn. Clark.

TowLGATE, toUgate.

To-YEAR, the current year, the present season. Clark. Var.
dial.; " to zere hornoj^ Cathol. Anglia M.S. XV. cent.

Tramp, to walk, to journey on foot. Clark.

Transmogrified, transformed, changed.

Trape, to go idly up and down, to saunter. From G. trappen^
to trape.

50 A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

Trapes, a slattern, literally one who trapeses, i,e, walks slut-
tishly or carelessly. Clark gives trapes " to trail in the dirt."
See Trape.

Trinkle, trickle.

Troy, try.

Truck, worthless commodities. " There's a lot of truck."
From Fr. troquer, to track, barter, or exchange ; It. truccare;
Sp. trocar.

Trudge, to walk briskly. Clark.

Tub, the top of a malt-kiln ; a corruption of top.

Tuck, took.

Tumbril, a waggon. From 0. Pr. tumerel (also iumereauj
tumeriau)f tombereau, charrette, faite comme une caisse, et servant
a transporter des gravois, du sable, &c.

Tunnips, turnips.

Twig, to observe slyly. Clark,

TwiNKiNG, quickly; a corruption of winking. Compare G.
augenblicky a moment, literally a wink of the eye.

TwoiCE, twice.

Tye, a strip of pasture. The Rev. E. Gillett thinks this
word (found variously written tay and tey) means a strip of land,
and he refers to Westm. L.B.B. i. 32, where tey is rendered
^^ ladnia prati,'* He also notes the Isl. teigr, one meaning of
which is arvum declive (Dan. skraay medgaaende enge), and another
that of tractus. See Ihre (Lex, Suio-Goth,, vol. ii, col, 872, ed.
1749, under " Teg." Mr. WUliam CoUyn, of Haldon, admitting
that tye or tie means a strip of pasture, says ^* several of the tyes
or ties have a post in the centre, where a horse road crosses the
la^niaprati, to which horses are directed to be tied up by parties
coming from a distance, and having to proceed further, riding so
far and sending their first steeds back." The word is also used
in Suffolk, and in Kent it is written tigh and teage. Compare
A.S. teagy teagh, tedh^ an inclosure. See also Notes and Queries,
1st S. iii. 263, 340, 469 ; v. 356, 395 •, 2nd IS. v. 197, 298, 343.

A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 51

U.

Um, them.

Upright, independent. " He lives upright." dark.

Upset, a cross, an obstruction. Clark,

Upun, upon,

UsT, used.

UsTER, formerly. " Uster could, I could foiinerly, &c." Clark,
Compare D. gister^ L, hestemua^ yesterday. But it may also be
for used.

V.

Vae, way.

Ven, when.

Vessel, a pail or bucket.

ViTE, white.

VoT, vot.

W.

-^ Want, a cross road. Wants Road is a Parish of St. Peter,
Maiden ; and there is or was a locality called the Three Wants
in Fifield. In Kent this word assumes the form of wence, Mr.
Morris renders the Chaucerian word went a passage, road, path-
way.

Is through a goter, by a pryT^ wente,

Troylua and CryseydCy 738.

Down by a flowry grene wmte.

The Boke of the Duehesse, 398,

It comes from the old wendy to go, to turn ; from A.S. wendan^ to
go, to turn, Dan. vende^ to turn.

52 A. GLOSSABY OF ESSEX.

Wape, pale from fatigue or Ulness. Perhaps a corraption of
vapidy dead, having the spirit evaporated, spiritless, mawkish,
flat.

Wark, work.

Warld, world.

Warmin, vermin.

Warnt, warrant. " I warnt yow doant."

Warse, verse.

Warsley, not much. Clark^ Halliwell, If this is the proper
meaning of the word, it is probably used ironically for vastly.
From the line, " I shudn't loarsley loike to troy," in John Noakes
and Mary Styles it would seem to mean the reverse of " not
much.''

Waste, to abate ; also to wane, as " the moon wastes."

Wem, a blemish in cloth ; " a small blemish, hole, or decay,
especially in cloth." Grose, From A. S. wem^ wemm, a spot,
blemish ; t&om, warn, wam^ a spot, stain, blemish ; wemman, to
spoil, corrupt. Compare also old English wem^ a spot or car ;
also to defile, corrupt.

Wennel, a young beast, ox, bull, or cow. Grose makes it

also a Suffolk word. Halliwell renders the provincial wennel *' a

calf newly weaned," so that the word is no doubt from A. S.

wefnan^ to wean, or D. wennan^ Dan. joawne^ to accustom ; vcenne

fra^ to wean.

Wentersome, venturous, bold, daring.

Werry, very.

Wesh, wish.

Weskit, waistcoat.

What, that.

Whistle, the throat. Like whistle (A. S. wistle^ a whistle, an
oaten pipe), from 1j. fistula.

White-sick. See Black-sick.

Whoile, while.
WiCH, a small dairy-house. Hallitoell. Pio^a^XA^ «.w!v^ as wt^ke.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 63

WiEW, view.

Wile, wild ; " wild beas, wild beasts." Clark.

Wind, wine. Clark.

WiNNiCK, a suppressed cry ; to fret. Clark. In East Anglia
it also signifies to cry, to fret. Probably a diminutive of whine.
to make a moumfril noise, speak in a crying tone. From Dan.
hviner^ A. S. toanian, cwanian, Goth, hwainon, to whine and to
whinny, as a horse, the same as to neigh. From the L. hinnire.

Wolf, an arch or culvert for water to pass through. From
A. S. hwealfay a convexity, arch, expanse. Compare Plat loelfte,
wolfte^ gewolfte^ D. verwelf^ getoelfy Gt. wolbung^ gewolbe, Dan.
hvoslving, Sw. hwdlfning, Ice. hvelfing^ Eng. vault ; also Fr. volte
L. volutus^ volvere. The Rev. Ed. Gillett says, " This word was
repeatedly used at the trial of the Tollesbury murder at the
Essex Lent Assizes this year. Repairing ^ wolven ' frequently
occurs in old accounts of Romford." See Notes and Queries,
Oct. 30th, 1852, p. 411.

Wonderful, very, as a wonderful fine day, wonderful pretty
wonderful nice. The word is found in var. dial.

WoNDERMENt, astonishment. Clark.

WooDSERE. See Wood-sower Land.

WooD-sowER Land. According to Townsend, the clay land in
Essex is sometimes so called because, though it will produce fine
elm and ash timber, it requires chalking to render it fit for com.
See Wright, vol I., p. 20. Grose gives woodsere "decayed or
hollow pollards/' also the month or season for felling wOod. Ess.
and Suff."

WoR, were.

Wos, what. Wos-a-matter ? What is the matter ?

WouNDLY, very great. Clark. " A woundly lamed man was
he." John Noakes and Mary Styles, p. 9. A corraption of
taounck/^ excessive, which. Dr. Johnson says, is a low, bad word.
" We have such a world of holidays, that 'tis a vxmndy hindrance
to a poor man that lives by his lahoxaJ' EEi^lTa-fv^?.. ^^'^Nns®.^

54 A. GLOSSABT OF ESSEX.

stockings of Susan^s cost a woundy deal of pains the palling on."
Gay,
WussER, the comparative degree of bad. Clarh,
Wyke, sometimes used for a " farm." Cowel says, " a ferm or
farm^ which in the N. parts is called a tache^ in Lancashire a
form-holtf is in Essex called a toyke," " Wyke (wyka)^ a farm or
little village. £t totam vjykam^ cum hominibus, &c. Mon.
Angl. 2, Par. foi. 154. Car cesty q'prist lease pur anz dun farme
en le northpais appelle ceo tacke^ et en Lancashire il est apelle
femieTwlty et en Essex im/ke,'*^ Plowden, fol. 169 b." The word
is derived from A. S. wic, wick^ vjyc^ a dwelling-place, habitation,
village, street ; habitation vicus, platea. Compare Plat D. wyh^
Frs. vnc^ O. G. wik^ vnek, weich, a town, castle, &c. See also the
Dan. viffy viig^ Sw. wik^ Ice. vik.

Y.

Yallar, yellow.

Yard, garden. From A. S. geard^ a yard, enclosure.

Yarn, earn.

Yaspen, as much as can be taken up in both hands joined
together. Halliwell writes the word also yeepsen, Wright spells
it yaspin^ and gives likewise yepsintle^ '^ two handfuls." {Lancaah,)
Ash has yaspen^ yaspin^ a handful (a local word), whence he
derives yasping^ grasping. In Redivivus, p. 32, yepsonds is used
to denote ^'as much as both hands would hold at a time.^'
Before even consulting Skinner it struck us that the word might
be from grasping^ by change of g into y and dropping the r,
but I queried the A. S. spannan^ geapannan^ p. gespeouy span,
to measure ; span, palmus. Compare also pugil (from It.
pugilloy a handful), which Bacon uses for '^ as much as is taken
between the thumb and two first fingers." See also Notes and

A QLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 55

Queries, x. 210, 276 ; Halliwell ; Ray ; and Skinner, referring to
Gonldman.

Yeep'sen. See Yaspen.

YiT, yet.

Youn', young; also early. "The day's yet young," i.e. not
far advanced. Shakespeare sometimes uses "young" for
** early." Thus in Rom. and Jul. I. i. 160-170—

Is the day so young ?

and in King Henry VIII., 3, 2, 40-60—

Marry, this is yet but young ^ and may be left '
To some ears imrecounted.

Yow, you.

Zad, exact. Clark,

56 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

ADDENDA.

Hock or Hock at, to jeer at. " This word occurs frequently
in The Times Report of an Essex libel case tried at the last
assizes before Mr. Justice Hawkins." Notes and Queries, 5th
S. xi. 246 (29th March, 1879).

Manningtree Ox. Manningtree and the neighbourhood are
famous for richness of pasture. The farms thereabouts are chiefly
tenanted by graziers. Some ox was, I suppose, roasted there on
an occasion of public festivity, or exposed for money to public
show. See Steevens's Note on Ist part K. Hen. IV. II. 4. " Why
dost thou converse with that brunk of humours, that bolting-hutch
of beastliness, that swollen parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard
of sack, that stuffed cloak-bag of guts, that roasted Maningtree ox
with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey in-
iquity, that father ruffian, that vanity in years ? " See also Newes
from Hell brought by the DeviPs Carrier, by Thomas Decker,
1606 ; Decker's Seven Deadly Sinnes of London, 1607 ; Hey wood's
Apology for Actors, 1612 ; and The Choosing of Valentines, a
poem by Thos. Nashe, MS. in the Library of the Inner Temple,
No. 638, vol. xliii.

Snickups, a kind of sneezing fit. ^' The turkeys are dying
very much of the snickups." See Notes and Queries, 5th S. xii.
45.

SwEDGE, meadow land, where it is easy to pull up the grass,
he best land for keeping geese on. See Notes and Queries, 5th
S. xii. 45.

ThbeE'ACIle Land. In the sixteenth century Canvey belonged
chieffjr to the faker and Appleton famWiea, "B^ ^^^^ ^^Xa^ Qtb.

A OLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 67

April, Sir Henry Appleton and others, owners of the lands, here
gave one-third thereof in fee simple to Joas Croppenburgh, a
Dutchman skilled in making dikes, in. consideration of his securing
the whole island from the overflowing of the sea, which was then
usually overflowed at every spring tide, at his own costs, which was
effected by raising round it the high embankments which still
preserve it frpm inundation, except during very high tides, when
some parts of it are overflowed. This agreement was by consent
made an order or decree of the Court of Chancery, on the 27th
February, 1622-3, and a third of these lands still goes to the
repairs of the sea walls : hence the term three-acre land is appli-
cable, not only to land held in this way at Canvey, but also to land
held in other parts of Essex. See Hist, of the County.

Weavers' Beep op Colchester, Colchester sprats. " That
iSy sprats caught thereabouts, and brought thither in incredible
abundance ; whereon the poor weavers are frequently fed."
Grose, In Spitalfields, London, they call a sprat a weaver's
bullock.

Yanqe-Mondat. The old parish register of Stifford contains
the entry of a baptism on Yange-Monday, 1586. This term is

probably a corruption of Yang-Monday. Compare Gang Week,

that is, Rogation Week. " Rogation Week in the N. of England is

called Gang Week, i.e, Gangtide, from the ganging or going on

procession, &c. ; for gajig there, as in the old Saxon, signifies to

go." Blount Gang Week [g.(?. going on walking], the time

when the bounds of the parish are lustrated or gone over by the

parish oflicers; Rogation Week. Bailey. ** Gang-flower, a

flower which flourishes in Rogation Week." Bailey, 0. E.

gange^ to go, going.

58 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

PROVERBS, SAYINGS, &c.

All is on a rhe. " Even to this day " observes Harrison, p. 46
" I have observed that when the lower grounds by rage of water
have beene overflowen, the people beholding same have said cUl
18 on a rhe, as if they should have said all is now a river." This
observation is copied by Stowe. Hallivoell, ** Ree, a river or
flood, *all is in a ree,' i,e. overflowed with water." Wright,
Bailey has " Eee, as all is on a ree, all is on the river, or over-
flowed with water, Essex^ of Gr. psM, to flow." It comes rather
from L. rivtw, a river.

As WISE AS Waltham's calf [who went 9 miles to suck a bull
and came home as dry as he went, adds Howell, Paroimiographia,
1659, pr 6]. Mr. Vincent S. Lean says, " here the addition is a
perversion of the original meaning, which is a fling at the monks
for their foolish preaching. The calf may have belonged to
Walt ham Abbey; or can the miraculous image there have been in
view?

As wyse as Walton's calfe,
Must preche a Goddes halfe
In the pulpit solemnely.

Skelton, Colin Clout, I. 811, Dt/ce's Edit,

Not Walton, as Mr. Hazlitt (Collection) prints it, p. 446. A third
party called in to mediate by the husband excuses himself :—

Ye will me to a thankeless office here,

And a busy officer I may appeere.

And Jacke out of office she may bid me walke,

And thinke me as wise as Waltam*s calfe, to take,

Or that of his charge, havyng therein nought to doo.

J, Seiwood, Dialogue, ld66| 11. 3.

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 59

A curious passage occurs in Buttes, DyeVs Dry Dinner^ 1599, la,
after a dispraise of .veal : ' Essex calfes the pioverb praiseth, and
some one of the mind that Waltone calf was also that countrey
man.' Davies (of Hereford, Scourge of Folly, 1611) has this
proverb (ep. 366) in the expanded form." Conf. Notes and
Queries, 6th S. x. 10.

Broken-backed qrayes. Some years since, when taking
church notes in Barnstable Hundred, the rector of one of the
churches directed my attention to various graves depressed in the
centre. These, said he, my sexton affirms invariably indicate
that the person buried died of consumption ; and that all who die
of that disease have sooner or later " broken-backed graves." Of
course it is obvious enough the depression is occasioned by the
decay of the coffin, or the natural sinking of the loose earth, and
is not confined to graves of consumptive persons, although the
sexton, from long experience, strenuously vouches the contrary.
East Anglian N. and Q., No. 2, p. 15.

Braintbee saying : —

Baintree for the pure,

And Booking for the poor ;
Cogshall for the jeering town,

And Kelvedon for the whore.

Dovercourt. " There is the phrase Dovercourt : all talkers
and no hearers. At Dovercourt, near Harwich, a court is
annually held, which, as it consists chiefly of seamen, the irre-
gularity described in the proverb is likely to prevail. Keeping
Dovercourt is said to mean making a great noise, and the
explanation is said to have arisen from the fact that Dovercourt
was formerly celebrated for its scolds.'* Tusser (p. 12) men-
tions a Dovercourt beetle, ».e. one that could make a loud
noise.*' There is a proverb, Dover Court; all speakers and no
hearers. The legend is that Dovercourt Church. once possessed

60 A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX.

a miraculous cross which spoke, thus noticed in the Collier of
Croydon : —

And how the rood of Dovercourt did speak,
Confirming his opinions to be true.

So that it is possible, as Nares suggests, that this church was the
scene of confusion alluded to in the proverb. Foxe (Marty-
rology, vol. ii. 302) states that " a rumour was spread that no
man could shut the door, which therefore stood open night and
day ; and that the resort of people to it (the church) was much
and very great." The proverb has been very long current^ It
is alluded to in an old copy of v erses inscribed on the walls of
St. Peter's belfry at Shaftesbury, and quoted at the word
clamour —

But when they clam, the harsh sound spoils the sport,
And 'tis like women weeping Dover Court,

So in Stephenson's Norfolk Drollery, 1673—

I*m not a man ordain'd for Dover Court,
For I'm a hearer still where I resort.

And even as late as Queen Anne's time, in Mr. Bramston's Art
of Politics —

Church nor church-matters ever turn to sport,
Hot make St. Stephen's Chapel Dover Court.

Dodsley*8 ColL ofFoems, Vol. i.

See also Nares's Glossary, Halliwell, Wright (Prov. Diet.), and
Ray, p. 246.

Every doq has his day, and a cat two Sundays.

Fox's SLEEP (to be in a). " A few days ago I heard a working
man, a native of Essex, who had spent the greater part of his life
there, say, * I was in a fox's sleep,' his meaning evidently being
that he kept his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep, when all

A GLOSSARY OF ESSEX. 61

the while he was listening to what was said around him.** Dr. F.
Chance, Notes and Queries, 5th S. ir. 286.

Giving the straight tip. " This phrase is largely used in
rural townships and villages of Essex, where it evidently means
speaking plainly and decisively, * delivering an ultimatum^" as
Cuthbert Bede tersely defines it, and also something more ; and
the ^ straight tip,* as given at Dunmow and within a considerable
radius, not only means a direct reply without either evasion or
reservation, but also a spirit of indifference and defiance — ^very
often an insult is intended.** </. TF. Savill, See Notes and
Queries, 5th S. ix. 498.

Go TO Romford to have your backsides new bottomed. Rom-
ford being formerly famous for breeches-making, a man going
there was thus jocosely advised to provide himself with a pair of
new breeches.

Good elm, good barley ; good oak, good wheat. Where the
soil is thin and will only support forest trees in particular places,
the cultivators are careful not to plough too deep, hence the above
proverb. Wright, Hist. Essex.

Lying by the wall. If any one is dead, he or she is said " to
lie by the wall.** It is generally said of an uninterred corpse.
" Lying by the wall" implies that one is dead, but not yet buried.
In the Dutch is a phrase which seems somewhat akin, aan de
laager wol zyn, to be brought to a low ebb.** Notes and Queries,
2nd S. vi. 152, 480. The exact phrase in the mouth of a Suffolk
peasant would be, " he lay by the walls.'* A correspondent of
Notes and Queries says, ^^ it may be a corrupted form of some
expression in which occurred the A. S. woel^ death ; Gen. wales,
so meaning ' he is laid down by death.* ** It is, however, a well-
known fact that those about to die generally turn the face to the

62 A GLOSSART OF ESSEX.

wall. Mention is made of it in the Scriptures. In Isaiah,
xxxviii. 1, 2, we read, "In those days was Hezekiah sick
unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto
him, and said unto him, Thus said the Lord, Set thine house in
order : for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned
his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord." Compare
II. Kings XX. 1 , 2, and II. Chron. xxxii. 24. " The beds
of the Hebrews were placed with their sides against the wall
of the chamber, which illustrates this expression of Heze-
kiah*s turning his face to the wall to pray." Fleury, See Doyly
and Mant's ed. of the Bible.

Moon and mushrooms. There is a feeling in some parts of
the country, founded upon the result of long observation, that the
growth of mushrooms is influenced by the changes of the moon ;
that towards and at the full of the moon mushrooms show them-
selves, the crop declining when she begins to wane. Mr. F.
Phillott has, for convenience sake, reduced this piece of folk-lore
to the following formula : —

"When the moon is at the/«</Z,
Mushrooms you miay freely pull ;
But when the moon is on the wane^
Wait ere you think to pluck again.

See Notes and Queries, 2nd S. z. 247.

Not to have her change, &c. In the neighbourhood of
Fobbing, and doubtless in other parts of the country, when the
peasants wish to express that a woman has not much nouSy they
say " she has not got her change." When speaking of a man,
they say, ** he has not got all his buttons." It at first struck me
that the last phrase might be compared with what the host says
of Mark Fenton (M. W. W., ii. 2, 67): "Tis in his buttons:
he will carry't ;'* but, as Mr. Knightley remarks, " It is in
his buttons " seems to mean it is in his doublet, which is buttoned

A GLOSSABT OF ESSEX. 63

on him, t.e. it is in him, he is able to accomplish it/' Compare
however the Scotch synonyms, "he wants twopence o' the
shillmg," " he's no a' there."

Peculiarities op the three counties :

Essex miles, Suffolk stiles^ Norfolk wiles,
Many men beguiles.

£ast Anglian N. and Q., No, 1, Oct. 1858.

Put the miller's eye out, to overdo with water or milk ; to
make a pudding, &c., too thin. In Derbyshire, when the house-
wife, in mixing her dough, or, as they call it there, paste, puts
too much water to her flour, she says she has ** drowned the
miller." Jamieson says the primary meaning of this phrase is
used in regard to the baking, when too much water is put in, and
there is not meal enough to bring the dough to a proper consis-
tence ; and also to the operation of making punch or toddy, when
more water is poured in than corresponds to the quantity of
spirituous liquor. In short, the saying is applied to anything
which, however acceptable in itself, defeats the end for which it
is desired, by its excess or exuberance. The saying seems to be
from Scotland. An old Scotch proverb says, * O'er muckle water
around the miller.' Millers (of water-mills, almost the only kind
known in Scotland) are supposed to be always anxious about a
supply of water —

To them the breath of life.

But, as there may be too much even of a good thing, this proverb
was intended no doubt to inculcate moderation on that honest
fraternity. The miller was, either actually or practically " drowned
in his dam," as " the weaver was hanged on his yam," and " the
devil flew away with the little tailor." And from this unhappy
fate it has become a custom, whenever too much water is applied,
to quote or allude to the above proverb.

64 A GLOSSABT OF BSSEZ.

Scare a job. A phrase implying that the job will be nearly
finished, and tantamount to the expression, "making it look
foolish.'* Halliwell, From scare, to frighten.

Ugley. It is said of this village —

Ugly church, ugly steeple,
Ugly parson, ugly people.

Witch bottle. During the recent alterations of a house in
King Street, Saffron Walden, the workmen came upon an old
witch bottle imbedded about 18in. below the floor, and very near
the fireplace. It contained some water, about fourteen horse-
nails, and twenty thorns. It is supposed to be upwards of two
centuries old. Some curious old carvings on stone and oak were
also discovered, probably of Elizabethan period. Notes and
Queries, 4th S. vi. 114. In same series, No. 271, will be found a
notice of another witch jug also discovered at Saffron Walden,
embedded in the chalk. It is there stated that it was customary
about the year 1610 to place under the entrance-door a jug filled
with horseshoe nails, to prevent the entrance of witches.

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